Tourist views welcome

The tourism department have called on everyone including tourists to sign their pledge. I think it is a very good idea because it gets tourists involved in maintaining and protecting their favourite holiday spot. It is a united effort to safeguard the island. The pledge is a refreshing change after years in which tourists have been vilified by some.

Take the tourist tax; the rhetoric was that tourists should pay for the damage they allegedly caused to the environment on the island. It was said at the time that all tourist tax cash would go to help erase the damage of years of tourism. Unfortunately, a sizeable part of this cash was later spent on other projects which were completely unrelated to tourism.

The pledge, introduced by new Council of Mallorca following the victory of the Partido Popular in the last local elections, is a far cry from the tourist tax. This is a call to action for all. It will make tourists feel even more at home on the island because they are actually involved in the future of Mallorca and the need to safeguard it for generations.

Many tourists have been holidaying on the island for many years and they call the island their second home. They care about Mallorca and its future and with the pledge they can actually get involved. I would say that many tourists love the island more than many local residents. It has been their holiday spot for generations and they want its scenic coastline and countryside protected so that it can be enjoyed by future generations of their own family.

I like the idea of getting all involved and I like the return of a Tourist, a friend. As I said it is a refreshing change, tourists will be welcomed with open arms and their opinions matter. That is the way forward for tourism.