MAGALLUF
THE days of a cheap and cheerful holiday to Majorca have gone, claimed island visitors yesterday as they dodged the showers in a deserted Magalluf.
Shutters had come down on several shops and bars that had called it a day for the summer and the few people braving the rain were staring vacantly at empty streets and gazing at posters advertising events long since gone in the heady days of summer.
Despite government claims to the contrary, it has been a traumatic season at the sharp end of tourism.
And it doesn't come any sharper than Magalluf, which acts as a magnet to thousands of British visitors each year.
But according to the tourists braving the grey skies and bad weather, the jewel in the crown for holiday Brits for decades has lost some of its sparkle.
Marie Baxter, from Sunderland, was coming to the end of an early autumn break, where she hoped to grab a few rays of sunshine before the long north-eastern winter and enjoy a spot of partying with pals.