Last month the new “sandwich tourist” was born - holidaymakers who don’t eat out at restaurants but would rather pop to the local supermarket and buy their favourite ingredients for a sandwich. These tourists are apparently the reason for the slump in restaurant takings because they are having to spend more money on hotels and flights.
Now there is a new tourist on the island this summer and they too are copping the blame for the drop in spending. On the back of a report from the Association of Temporary Services Concessions and Operations in the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain of Mallorca (Adopuma) warning of a 20% drop in revenue in July, we now have the “diesel tourist”.
These are apparently holidaymakers who, while exploring the island, spend nothing. They might well have a sandwich, but they are not enjoying them while hiring a sunbed, hence the fall in businesses on the beaches.
It appears that tourists can’t do right from wrong this year while the local authorities lie back and no doubt wonder how they are going to worm their way out of a poor season when the time eventually comes for somebody in government to go on the record.
I wonder what other names Mallorca has for the hard-working tourists who have chosen to come to the island.