Even bars and restaurants are seeing lower takings. | R.L.

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I find it rather astonishing that any in their right mind could be opposed to the visits by cruise ships to the port of Palma. A simple glance around the High Streets in the capital shows that shows that shops are suffering and badly. Even bars and restaurants are seeing lower takings.

I took a walk around Palma on Monday night and I was amazed to see that a considerable number of bars and restaurants were closed and popular spots were like ghost towns. Granted that we are moving towards the end of the year but businesses need all the help they can get and we should be welcoming cruise ships with opened arms like the rest of the Mediterranean.

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If there are no cruise ships in the port a sizeable number of businesses in Palma are going to find it difficult to survive. A recent survey suggested that 70 percent of shop takings in Palma are tourist-related. That just shows you how important tourism is to the capital businesses. Now, there is a problem of too many cruise ships arriving in the port on the same day. Well surely the Balearic government could work with the cruise ship operators and establish a plan of action. It is not rocket science.

The port of Palma is being expanded so that it can handle even the biggest cruise ships and the local government should be looking at ways to take this lucrative market forward. With the pandemic we need every tourist we can get at the moment, now is not the time for talk of bans and protests.