Spain´s tourism Minister flies in to get the Balearics moving

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Juan Costa, arrived in Palma yesterday for top level talks with the Balearic Minister for Tourism in order to co-ordinate the region's drive to resolve the tourism crisis and give the campaign extra impetus, i.e. get things moving immediately. Earlier in the day central government came under fire for blowing the tourism crisis out of proportion, however the Secretary of State was in no mood for a day of political tit-for-tat. Costa came to Palma on a mission to turn around the tourism industry's misfortune and stop the decline. Costa told the Balearic Minister for Tourism, Celesti Alomar, that there is a need for a much greater level of co-operation in all fields of the market. A meeting has been organised at which the Balearic Marketing Plan will be examined by the Spanish Tourist Board and the Institute for Tourism Studies. In the meantime Costa outlined to Alomar the steps Madrid are taking, as of immediate effect, to bolster the Balearic tourist industry and repair the damage done this year. A group of 30 top travel writers, tourism experts and journalists from the United Kingdom are to be brought to the islands on a fact finding mission so they can return to the UK with a favourable and positive view of the Balearics. Other schemes to fuel a late booking boom are also to be launched in Britain and Germany over the next few weeks and a series of competitions are to be held in Britain offering “free holidays” in the Balearics.