WINTER tourism appears to be taking a step in the right direction with the announcement that some hotels in the resorts will be reopening at weekends this low season. But the food and language in these hotels will be distinctly Spanish if not Majorcan. Local hotels have found a new market;the Majorcans who want to go away at the weekends and discover life in hotels which until recently were just the reserve of foreign tourists. And they like what they get. Large groups of Majorcan tourists are just what the doctor ordered for hotels during the winter months. I have been to a number of local hotels where groups of Majorcans have been staying. The menu is rapidly changed and paella is in and roast beef is out. It is one way to combat the winter tourism blues because tour firms are unwilling to bring tourists to the island during the winter months and airlines continue to maintain that there is little demand for flights. It is rather ironic that Majorcans should be at the forefront of the winter tourism campaign. But ofcourse it is good news because it obviously creates jobs during the winter and brings some life to the resorts. But there are some areas which “Majorcan tourists” will not venture into. I was told that one group of elderly Majorcans had been offered a hotel in Magalluf. They refused pointblank. It appears that Magalluf´s reputation is well known, not even the Majorcans will go there on holiday! Food for thought!