Government says “no” to more golf courses

PALMA
WITH the 23 golf courses already in the Balearics apparently not being used to capacity, the regional government isn't going to to build any more, said regional Transport and Territory minister Gabriel Vicens yesterday.

Vicens was responding to a Parliamentary question by opposition Partido Popular (PP) spokesman, Antoni Pastor, which criticised what he described as the “inherent contradictions” in the ruling Socialist government policy. “It's very difficult to know what line the government is taking,” said Pastor “because the answers seem to vary according to who you ask.” The spokesman suggested this points to the fact that the government doesn't in fact have a strict policy on the matter.

Pastor was in fact making specific reference to a Parliamentary session held on 27th October in which the present Minister for Tourism, Miquel Nadal who is currently at the World Travel Market in London, gave his backing to the construction of a golf course at Son Baco in Campos. Nadal also said, according to Pastor, that as long as the site was not on protected land, he would give his backing to all golf courses that local town halls and Island Councils considered responded to the needs of both the tourist and resident community. Nadal had apparently finished his speech of support describing golf courses as a “good tourist product for the Balearic Islands.”