Service sector hit hard as takings fall by 22 percen

PALMA
BARS and restaurants in Majorca have reported a near 20 percent fall in takings as international and domestic tourists tighten their belts.
The President of the Majorcan Restaurant Association, Antoni Mas, was yesterday forced to admit that the Easter holiday period was very quiet for many of his members - especially in the holiday resorts. “Restaurants, bars and cafes are all reporting a steady fall in takings and Easter failed to live up to many of our expectations,” he said yesterday. “We were unlucky with the weather, but fewer hotels open means less activity in the resorts. We're getting fewer people with less to spend,” added Mas.

But, according to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Institute, the service sector in the Balearics has been suffering since the start of the year.

In February, for example, the sector posted a 21 percent drop in takings - the heaviest monthly fall in the whole of Spain and the sharpest since 2003.
The head of the Association of Small Traders' restaurant department, Juan Cabrera, also took a swipe at local hoteliers.
He too complained about the lack of hotels open over Easter - just 45 percent - but also went on to criticise the all inclusive packages hotels are offering and the knock down prices rooms are being pumped out at which, he claims, will only attract low spending visitors to the island.

Cabrera said that business during Easter last year was not good, but this year it has been even worse with takings down at least ten percent.
He explained that many restaurants have noticed that more clients are sharing dishes, perhaps skipping dessert and deciding against having a coffee and a liqueur.