A long wait

THE new Balearic government has said that despite the major funding crisis they will endevour to find the necessary cash to finish the convention centre in Palma. It would be a major blow if the project was not completed especially as it is almost half finished at the moment. An even bigger blow is the fact that it will not be completed in time for the annual convention of the Association of British Travel Agents next month in Palma.

This is a real showpiece event for the city attracting hundreds of delegates from across Britain. It would be an ideal moment to show the British travel industry the improvements which have been made. As ABTA hold their convention in Palma every ten years then perhaps it will be finally completed when they come to the island again in 2021! It is an enormous complex and when it is finally built it will be one of the biggest in Europe, capable of handling some very large conventions.

There is a growing trend of thought within the travel industry that the island needs to reinvent itself. The days of package tourism are over and the highly lucrative convention market could be the key to success. It is ashame that the previous administration did not make the funding available for the project when work started almost five years ago. Bauza has said that the convention centre will be finished, what he didn´t say was when. Hopefully the wait will have been worth it and the Balearics will benefit.