Tourism aims to beat the strike

The Balearic tourist sector will meet today to discuss contingency plans for the general strike on June 20 and how to ensure that at least minimum services are operating. The hotel sector, travel agents, tour operators, transport companies and the airlines will all be represented at the meeting and are all pushing for the union and the authorities to reach an agreement over minimum services. A spokesperson for the Majorcan Tourist Board said that the state, the local government and councils are all responsible for air and road transport and therefore must ensure that minimum services are operating to prevent the tourist industry being brought to a halt and the Balearics' image being seriously damaged. Palma airport is essential and must be kept open, despite threats from the union to bring the terminal to a halt. While the union are plotting how to ensure that the one-day strike is as successful, i.e. disruptive, as possible, the tourist industry is busy working on a number of ways in which to either bring arrival forward at the airport and delay departures so that tourists are affected as little as possible. After last year's disastrous three-day coach strike, the Balearics can do without scenes of tourists trapped at Palma airport and the airlines are trying to develop a plan with the coach companies and hotels in order to ensure that as few tourists as possible get caught up in the general strike at the airport.