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Viewpoint: Spain’s British billions

Madrid’s mismanagement should not be allowed to impact on the Balearics

Never mind the Germans, Spain needs British tourists back and fast. | MDB files

| Palma |

The Spanish and Balearic government are making all the right noises to reopen the doors to British tourists as quickly as possible, it could be as early as May 20, depending on the British government, because the UK is the country’s biggest tourism market.
For example, not having UK visitors in May and June could mean a loss of nearly three billion euros compared to 2019 figures.

While Mallorca is very much home from home for the Germans, who are flocking to the island this weekend with much of central Europe on holiday for the next week to ten days, the Balearics needs to maintain this momentum and fingers crossed, once central Europe has gone back to work, Britons living in England will be able to take off for the Balearics.

Covid cases are at a record low in the region, the vaccination roll out has picked up some serious speed and it is unfair that the Balearics should be made to pay the price for higher rates on the mainland, in particular Madrid with which the Balearic government is engaged in a war of words over the handling of the pandemic.

Madrid is still on the red list in Spain with some of the highest levels of cases, intensive care wards still have a Covid capacity of around 43% with the capital’s lockdown measures having been very lax. Madrid’s mismanagement should not be allowed to impact on the Balearics.

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