A dispute is brewing nicely over the visit this weekend by the giant liner, Symphony of the Seas. A protest is being planned and there is concern about the impact of its 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew on Palma. What ever your views, you will admit that the organisers of the protest have a valid argument: 6,000 people getting off in a small place like Palma can cause problems. But perhaps they should have looked at their dates. The Symphony of the Seas is visiting Palma on Sunday. It is in fact a great day to walk around Palma and enjoy the empty streets and closed shops because the majority of the city is not open. Even in the city centre where shops are open you can count on a single hand the number of people who are out and about.
So, you can't really protest against the massification of tourism when you have the city to yourself. But there is also a concern. Where are these cruise ship passengers going to spend their cash when everything is closed? Surely, it might be an idea for the town hall to reconsider its shop opening hours legislation when a giant of the seas is heading to our shores. I also feel very sorry for the passengers because they will not get the full feel of the city. Palma is a wonderful city when everything is open, it is still beautiful when everything is closed but it does rather lose some of its appeal. Palma on a Sunday is a city at peace or at rest. The Sunday rest maybe slightly affected this weekend but not a lot.