THE present local government is already planning policies for its next term in office, one of which will involve a shake-up of how the Balearics promotes itself overseas and the setting up of a new department to co-ordinate overseas tourism and export campaigns. The announcement by President Francesc Antich comes just days after one of the posters used to promote the Balearics as part of the Spanish tourist board campaign, had to be scrapped after complaints from women's rights and consumer groups. Antich said that the new office will co-ordinate the promotions in the sectors of tourism and local produce, from agricultural and food stuffs to the leather, foot wear and jewellery industries.
MED MEETING
The Balearics needs to be able to defend itself overseas, he said we've got a lot of friends overseas and they're all prepared to give us a hand, Antich added. Closer to home, Palma City Councillor for Tourism, Joan Bauza, met representatives from Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Naples, Montepellier and Toulouse yesterday to discuss promoting tourism within the group of seven cities. Historically, the Mediterranean cities have always been very close, socially, economically and culturally and the city councils want to build on this. Apart from Naples, the cities have been part of the C-6 which was set up so that the city councils could work together in resolving common problems such as waste, crime and transport. However, with the incorporation of Naples, the group now wants to tackle tourism, especially at a time of uncertainty in the global travel industry and concerns that holidaymakers may decided to not travel too from their homes this year. Joan Bauza said that the seven cities account for 15 million people, all of which are potential visitors to the participating C-6 cities.