GROUNDED

THE Canary Islands is planning to subsidise low cost airlines so that they operate more routes to the islands from Britain. A very good idea but why can´t the Balearics do the same? There are literally a handful of flights to Britain from Majorca this winter and the only ray of hope is Monarch which is almost operating a daily service. Without Monarch it would be quite difficult to get to Britain this winter.

This week the Balearic tourist industry has been sounding upbeat at the World Travel Market tourism fair in London but as a result of the lack of flights you can almost forget winter tourism from Britain on a large scale. The problem is simple. If there are no flights, there are no tourists. The local authorities should be talking with the airlines to try and get them to increase their winter programmes. Talks have taken place but unfortunately the local government hasn´t much of a budget. The no-frills carriers, seem to be flying everywhere apart from Majorca this winter. It is a great shame and this state of affairs just sums up the state of the tourist industry. The season gets shorter every year and now winter tourism has just become a joke. Thank goodness for Monarch but it is a shame that others can´t follow their great example.