Palma16/08/2020 03:38
Hindsight is very nice but I am sure that I was not the only journalist to have warned the government about putting all its eggs in one basket when it launched its pilot scheme to lure German tourists to Majorca. It actually failed within a matter of days because Madrid decided to open the borders to most of Europe, but apart from that, what about all the other international markets which are the corner stones to the tourist industry and the local economy such as the UK?
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The biggest mistake the Balearic Government made was to ban private villa and apartment rentals by way of punative taxes. The greed and collusion between the all inclusive hotels and the government is plain to see and now the ordinary people of Majorca are paying the price for this greed. The ban on private villa and apartment rentals affected car hire, restaurants and places like EROSKI immediately and this has now been made terminal by Covid. The Government of Baleares has brought misery to the whole population by their greedy and stupid actions. The current government should resign immediately to give the Balearic Islands any chance of survival. The EU is bankrupt and will not help you , you are cast off in your own now.
The mistake they made was allowing all the nightclubs and bars for young people to open out of control with no social distancing. If they'd controlled that better and encouraged the older higher spending, more careful travellers they wouldn't be in the position of high Covid spread. As older travellers who come every September we have now had to cancel.
"but as far as I am concerned those in command have only got themselves to blame. It was a gamble which failed and will prove to have been an expensive move."I could not agree more Humprey. But as Yogi correctly said: domestic tourism is as much a factor in all this. I have flown nationally 6 times since June, no checking anywhere, except the first return flight straight after flying opened up again and only upon arriving in Mallorca. That was the only time. Nowhere else. Crazy.
You are looking at the symptom forgetting about the cause which is that they encouraged domestic tourism well before the pilot plan and foreign travel got going. It is that which has led Mallorca to this point. Being an Island was a distinct advantage in limiting the virus’ transmission. But being treated as if we were just another part of the mainland with free movement and NO CHECKS at ports for Spanish nationals has let the virus in through the back door. You reap what you sow. Because of their total ineptitude thousands of Mallorcans are staring at a long winter and worrying about how to survive it and even if they do what’s going to happen next year? More of the same? Horrendous.