Continuing its efforts to promote Palma as an off-season destination, the Palma 365 Tourism Foundation has greeted journalists from the British media who have come for a familiarisation visit (known as a fam trip). With the support of British Airways, journalists from the likes of The Telegraph and Wanderlust travel magazine, who are specialists in city and cultural tourism, are getting to know Palma at this time of the year.
The tourism councillor, Joana Maria Adrover, has highlighted the importance of the press visits that are organised by Palma 365. Their importance lies in "not only being part of the strategy being developed for the British market but also in allowing writers with some influence to get to know the city in the low season and find that it is one with its own style and character, ideal to be visited 365 days a year".
Together with Alfonso Meaurio, the city's director of tourism, and Pedro Homar of Palma 365, Adrover has taken the journalists on a route through the centre of the city, which has allowed them to see Palma's fine architectural heritage.
The Palma 365 programme has been assisted by businesses and restaurants who have contributed to its cost, these including the hotels Calatrava and Can Cera, the association "Chefs In", the gastronomy market of San Juan, Simply Fosh and the Vermuteria Rosa (vermouth).
The British market is Palma's third most important following the German and Spanish markets. Last year, 16% of all tourists were British, but this percentage drops in winter to 5%. This winter, however, there are to be additional flights to Palma from airports such as Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh.
During the three-day trip, which ends tomorrow, the journalists will have been invited to take part in various activities, both cultural and gastronomic, and to have had the chance to sample local chefs' cooking and traditional sweet products made by the city's bakeries.