The champagne which was on ice for three months was finally opened this week as the first German tourists arrived in the Playa de Palma. There was a buzz around the island as the season was finally starting. I don’t want to ruin the party but yesterday morning (Wednesday) the once-buzzing resort of the Playa de Palma was like a ghost town.
In fact, I had to pinch myself to remember that we were in June rather than November.
An estimated 10,000 German tourists are expected to arrive on the island this week but it is a drop in the ocean. They will be lost in the bar and restaurant lined streets of Arenal and Can Pastilla. The Playa de Palma can accommodate tens of thousands of tourists and a few thousand will not make much difference. But, it does give us hope for the future. A future which is still very uncertain.
Down in Magalluf and the season still hasn’t started, it will be weeks before the hotels start to open. Majorca should be pleased that at least some tourists are coming here but at the risk of ruining the party I think it is fair to say that we will have one of the worst holiday seasons on record, and that is the only certainty which we have at the moment.
A sad state of affairs and a sign on the times. Next year will be better, we hope.