GOB shouts down call for more golf

Balearic environmental group GOB was yesterday quick to pounce on the Balearic government's acceptance that there are not enough golf courses in the region in order to compete with other destinations. GOB maintains that there are “more than enough” courses to meet demand and that the construction of more courses would be “unnecessary and inconvenient.” There are 21 courses open in the Balearics and eight new projects being studied. GOB said yesterday that new courses will bring about more hotels and a further strain on water resources. The organisation also criticised both the government and the Insular Council for failing to have enforced a moratorium on golf courses, as promised in their election manifestos. The Balearic government, spurred on by the findings of a Confederation of Balearic Business Associations' report, appears to have finally realised the importance of the golfing industry and that it meets all the criteria of the government's dream for quality big spending tourists in the Balearics. The nautical industry is hoping that it will be next.