Yachties snap up city´s guide to nautical services

THE Palma city council has given away 30'000 copies of its Guide to Nautical Services, since it was launched on July 13.
Published in Spanish, English and German, it is offered to visiting yachtsmen and it details the services which are available in the Bay of Palma, which has nine yacht clubs or marinas. The guide includes full details of the yacht clubs as well as 400 firms in Palma, divided into 52 categories, all of which provide services for the yachting centre. The Bay of Palma yacht clubs have 3'000 berths, and there are 13'700 berths around the island. But the information is not confined to nautical information. The guide also includes details of the island's luxury hotels and the sights to be seen in Palma.
Maribel Bordoy, head of the council's finance and commerce department which is responsible for the guide, pointed out that yachting is a fast growing, lucrative sector which according to the Balearic tourism ministry injected 442 million euros into the economy in 2004. Bordoy said that yachties spend about a week on the island and spend an average of 67 euros a day. She added that although sailing is usually confined to the summer months, the sector generates all year round activity because of the need to repair and maintain boats. The sector wants more facilities built, despite opposition from environmentalists.