Editorial: End of season

SO that is it for another year. Close the shutters, send staff home and put up the closed signs. The season is over. Thank you and goodnight Magalluf, Palmanova, Alcudia, Playa de Palma, you have done your job for another year and now you can rest out the winter. The fact that this year more hotels than ever will be closed clearly underlines the fact that everyone has given up hope on attracting more winter tourists. The Balearic government has talked a good game but the game is over. And this time of the year I always ask the question, why doesn´t Majorca attract more tourists in the winter? It has been an average summer season but we could do with more low season tourists to get the local economy moving.  But no-one is willing to bet on Majorca during the winter anymore. Ten years ago there was life in the resorts infact, one tour firm had in excess of 20 flights a week to the island from Britain. Now, we are lucky if we have a handful. The reason for the demise of Majorca as a winter resort is simple;it is a question of money. It is not worth anyone´s while and no-one is willing to prove the others wrong. Chicken and egg comes to mind. But the people who should be showing the way are the people in government who have done nothing to persuade hoteliers to stay open and to encourage tour firms to return to the island again during the low season. It is sad. To those businesses  who are staying open, I say congratulations to those who are closing I say I understand.