18/08/2004 00:00
TW
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by Staff Reporter
WHILE in many resorts on the island, hoteliers, bar, restaurant and shop owners are wringing their hands and saying takings are down by as much as 20 percent, Pollensa is really bustling.

Pollensa, its port and resorts such as Formentor and Cala San Vicente have always been popular with the British and have specialised in tourism for middle class families, with the accent on sun and beach.

Like most of the island, this season has been “more difficult” than others, because bookings have been slow in coming. Sources at the Pollensa hoteliers association said that this was because “as there are more options, customers wait until the last minute, to find the best offer.” Although bookings in May were normal for that time of year, the future of the season looked uncertain, but by July, bookings were running at nearly 90 percent, higher than other parts of the island.

Miquel Sabater, the council representative in the port of Pollensa, said that the season would be saved, thanks to August, which is busier than ever.
He pointed out that consumer habits were changing, and tourists no longer stayed for weeks, but for days, and more and more were opting for the all inclusive package.

He added that Formentor is doing better than Cala San Vicente, but said that as a whole, the area had escaped the worst effects which had led to a drop in tourists in other areas, such as the crisis in Germany, price increases caused by the euro, or competition from other more exotic and cheaper areas such as Turkey.

But not everybody is happy at what they find in the municipality.
Bathers in Cala Murta have complained that it now resembles a yacht club rather than a small cover. Irate visitors last weekend claimed that although the law on coasts expressly forbids boats to approach closer than 200 metres to the sand, many skippers bring their boats right up to beach.

Last weekend angry bathers filed complaints with the Guardia Civil, but they were short staffed and too busy handling a robbery to be able to deal with the matter.

The Guardia Civil and the Local Police confirmed that there had been an increase in this type of complaint, but pointed out that there had been a reduction in the complaints about jetskis in areas reserved for bathers following control campaigns.