Much has been said locally about the collapse of Thomas Cook on the island. The Balearic government has been quite vocal on the issue. But at the end of the day apart from offering support to the local tourist industry what could the Balearic government have done?
I sincerely doubt that the local authorities had a spare 200 million euros which they could have offered as a lifeline to the struggling tour giant before its collapse. But what the local government could have done is sent ensaimadas, toys for the children and even food stuffs and water for the stranded passengers at the airport. It wouldn´t have hurt senior local politicians to have visited the airport and spoke to those who were directly affected by the demise.
The British government and the aviation authorities were effectively in charge of bringing stranded passengers home. Overall the operation was hugely successful and passengers were brought home but it would have been nice to see the stranded passengers given a small gift from the local authorities whether it be a small piece of ensaimada or even a bottle of water. Or even a visit from a senior politician.
Thousands of Thomas Cook passengers saw their precious break in the sun hit by the fall of the tour firm. It was not their fault at all, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I sincerely hope that those stranded tourists decide to return to the Balearics next year....but more tea and sympathy would have been appreciated.