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The Balearic tourism industry, concerned at a possible fall in the all-important German market, should not be looking east but across the pond. A new travel survey by a leading travel company says that the Germans are going long haul this year as a result of their improving economic situation. After Majorca the top holiday destination for Germans this year is not Turkey or the north African resorts but the Big Apple, New York. Turkey is more popular but so are Bali and Greece. The German market appears to be spreading its wings and going further afield now that it have more cash in its pockets.

Now, no one in their right mind believes that the German love affair with Majorca is in decline but in the words of Frank Sinatra some wanna wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep (some residents reckon that they can’t sleep during the summer months in the Playa de Palma, but that is another story). If the report is accurate, then Majorca could have a big problem. This island can compete with any place around the world when it comes to sun, beaches and countryside but New York is a different matter. If German tourists were heading to other destinations in the Mediterranean, then the Balearics could rest slightly easier because they could win them back. But long haul is a different matter. Bali is a totally different ball game. All of a sudden the Balearic Islands find they have to compete with the world and not just with the neighbours.