1´200 Balearic nautical businesses employ over 8´000

THE President of the Balearics, Francesc Antich, said yesterday that the reformation of the Port of Palma must be a top priority of the next legislature, which ever party is in power in the Balearics after the elections.

During his opening address of the first meeting of Balearic nautical clusters, Antich said that the reformation of the port has been a long time coming and that, in order for Majorca, and the Balearics as a whole, to be able to meet the challenges of the future and continue competing with emerging cruise destinations which are already catering for the new generation of super liners, the port project must be top of the political agenda.

The Balearic President, who has been under mounting pressure from the nautical industry to help protect and stimulate growth in the sector, said that reforming the port will not only encourage further growth in the cruise industry but also create extra work and revenue for the 1'200 nautical companies in the Balearics which employ over 8'000 people, many of whom are highly trained professionals.

During this present and the former Partido Popular-led legislatures, there has been an ongoing debate over the reformation of the Port of Palma with various projects put on the table such, as moving the cruise port to in front of the Cathedral, where the cargo port currently lies, the construction of an Opera House in the port and other commercial and entertainment facilities, but on the drawing board is where all of the projects have remained.

Antich said yesterday that APB Balearic Port Authority is analysing what kind of modifications and expansion the port will need in order to meet the changing needs of the future of maritime shipping and the cruise industry.

Antich's commitment to helping the nautical industry has been welcomed, although it may have come a little late.
Remodelling the Port of Palma is not, however, the only problem facing the Balearic nautical industry.
Port taxes are some of the highest in Spain and there is the ongoing war over the discriminatory matriculation tax which has all but destroyed the region's big charter industry at a cost of around 600 million euros per year to the local marine industry and local economy. The verdict is out on exactly how much money cruise ships generate for the local economy, especially those which visit Palma on a Sunday when every thing is closed, but there is no doubt about the hundreds of millions which the charter industry, if freed of the matriculation tax, would generate for the local economy while creating new jobs and attracting wealthy visitors.

The matter is currently in the hands of the European Union.