Hotel nightmare

Wanted a nice hotel in the Palma area where a group of British expats can celebrate Christmas. Now, on an island which prides itself on its hotels this should not be a problem. But it is. I know it sounds incredible, because the Balearics have probably more hotels per capita than any part of the country, but there is a major shortage of hotels which are open during the winter months. A group from our friends at the English Speaking Residents Association (ESRA) always go away for Christmas. They usually spend the festive period in a hotel. But this year they are having a nightmare time trying to find a hotel which is open and is willing to cater for them over the Christmas period. I remember when hotels in all the tourist resorts were open over the festive period. In fact, tourists would come to the island to celebrate Christmas. These days not even people who live on the island can find a hotel where they can celebrate. This is the failure of winter tourism in a nutshell and clearly underlines the fact that despite many promises from the local authorities, winter tourism remains a dream. I was talking to ESRA president David Whitney this week and he said he was quite concerned, and we talked about many possible alternatives. But unfortunately, there are few. So, if any hotelier is reading this, please spare a thought for a group of British expats who want to celebrate the festive season in a hotel on the island.