Shall we ban British tourists, asked a TV presenter on a local TV debate programme on Tuesday night. No, it was not an April Fool; in fact she was being serious. The reason for her question? The false compensation claims which are allegedly costing local hoteliers a fortune. And it is only British tourists who are lodging these fraudulent complaints. In fact, there are now "touts" in some of the resorts who are encouraging tourists to make these claims in return for a commission which in some instances can be as a high as 100 pounds per complaint. The problem is becoming so serious and costly for the Majorcan tourist trade that there is talk of trying to tackle the problem head on.
So could the Balearics afford to ban British tourists? Well of course not is the simple answer, but some Majorcans are not too impressed with the antics of British tourists. Firstly there is the rowdy behaviour of some UK holidaymakers, which is well reported in the Spanish press, and now the scandal of the false compensation claims. Meanwhile, there is a view locally that the Germans cause no problems and more of them visit the island every year. There are some who would say that British tourists could be replaced by more Germans and more Spaniards from the mainland.
This ban is never going to happen but the false compensation claims are giving British tourists a bad name. It is time that these bogus claims were stamped out for the good of all of us. It is an outrage.