ANOTHER complicated year. The Balearic Minister for Tourism, Iago Negueruela, has said what everyone is thinking...we can expect another difficult year for tourism but he expects some tourists this year. I know that this is a very complicated and volatile situation but it might be a good idea if politicians just kept their mouths shut at least in the short-term until the situation becomes clearer. Ofcourse, it is going to be a complicated year....British tourists, at the moment, can’t even come here if they wanted to. Britain is almost in total lockdown.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, was quoted as saying that he didn’t expect the tourist industry to get into full swing until September. Willie Walsh, the former Chief Executive of British Airways who owned a home on Mallorca for many years, said last year that he didn´t expect a full return to normality until 2022. Looking at the situation at the moment I think you can safely say that he has been proved correct.
Yes, we might get some tourists this season but nothing like the millions we welcomed in 2019. The future of the tourist industry is hanging in the balance. The top selling holiday resort in Britain at the moment is the Lake District! To be honest I think we have to face the facts and admit that the travel industry is going to suffer for years to come. I sincerely hope that I am wrong but I suspect that this year could be even more complicated than last year.