WHAT ever the reasons were for Carlos Delgado to resign as Minister for Tourism last month, he could not have picked a worse time.
His successor Jaime Martinez, the former Director General for Tourism and Delgado’s wing man for the past ten years, took over promising more promotions for this coming season but Delgado has not left him much time.
The British tourist industry has been scathing of Delgado for having done nothing to promote the Balearics and, had it not been for the Arab Springs turning in to Summers, Winters and Autumns, it remains to be seen if the Balearics, in particular the hotels, would have enjoyed such a busy Summer last year, and this is the time when the promotions need to be happening.
British TV is being blanketed with holiday promotions and the only destination missing is the Balearics, all of its main competitors have prime spots, so Martinez may have to write this year off and hope that the season performs well again.
However, latest news from the UK is that the Balearics is not selling well in the first big rush on the market.
Traditionally, January sees the first surge in demand for Summer holidays of the year and the Balearics is trading down 4% on the year primarily, according to industry sources, because the incentives are not there.
So, Delgado has dumped Martinez right in it.