It´s going to take Majorca a long time to recover

It will take a long time for people to look at Majorca in the way they used to. That is according to Keith Betton, spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents speaking from the UK yesterday. The effects of the industrial action which has been sweeping the Spanish travel industry over the past few weeks have yet to dissipate and Mr Betton says “It will take much promotional action and funding for the Balearics to be the prime choice for British holidaymakers. After the strike, bookings had fallen by half and now news that there will be no more strike action is taking a long time to filter through to prospective tourists.” The early hours of yesterday morning saw Spain's national airline Iberia grounding all of its flights after 99 pilots resigned. This move left 80'000 passengers stranded and although the strike lasted for only four hours, the ripples of delays and renewed travel panic spread quickly through the industry. Spain has been the focus of such mayhem recently, beginning with the coach drivers strike in Majorca which lasted for three days and brought the beginning of a busy tourist season to a grinding halt. Delays of up to 50 hours were recorded, and thousands of passengers slept on terminal floors Europe-wide. In addition to air and coach difficulties, driving instructors have been on a nationwide strike over the last week, leaving thousands unable to take their driving tests. Foreign correspondents have been busy reporting the effects of Spanish industrial action for British newspapers.