There was further bad news for the local economy yesterday with a poor start to the tourist year.
Palma.—The Ministry for Tourism, Industry and Energy in Madrid reported that during the first quarter of this year, foreign holiday makers spent 402 million euros in the Balearics, 15.9 percent less than during the first three months of last year.
During March, overseas visitors spent 214 million euros, 20.4 percent less than during March last year.
And, amidst all the talk of the Balearic tourist industry leading the region out of the recession, the islands were the only region in Spain to have suffered a drop in revenue from tourism during the first quarter.