Local authorities are quite rightly pushing for Majorca to be a 12 month holiday destination.
But there are some problems which really need to be addressed. Yesterday (November 1) marked the end of the holiday season so the number of taxis which can operate at any one time in the city has been reduced by 50 percent. This measure, introduced by the Palma city council, will remain until April 1 when the season starts again. So if we have a mass influx of winter tourists there is going to be a shortage of taxis. Cab drivers say that they should be able to work when they want to and not when the council orders them to do so. The other issue is shop opening hours.
At the moment only those shops in the city centre are allowed to open on a Sunday and only a small number do so. If Palma wants to be a focal point for winter tourism then the shops need to be open on a Sunday and I mean all over the city. Like the cab drivers, the council should allow them to work when they want to not when the council tells them to do so. I think there is much work to do.
The most important point, though, is that everyone has realised that Mallorca can be an excellent low season destination. Now, the groundwork has to be done to ensure that winter tourism prospers. Outdated laws and regulations need to be scrapped and the amount of red tape reduced. More winter tourism will mean that there are more winter jobs as long as outdated measured are scrapped.