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Blame game

| Palma |

You would have thought that someone in the local government would be pondering their future after both Britain and Germany ruled that the Balearics was unsafe for tourists. It is easy to blame politicians and also we are living in rather strange times but I do believe that the local government should take part of the blame.

The Balearics welcomed the first tourists in Spain as part of a pilot scheme just after the end of lockdown. The coronavirus appeared to be under control and the tourist season got underway. Then it came to an abrupt halt in July when first Britain and then Germany announced their travel warning. So what went wrong? Well it is easy to be critical with hindsight but I do believe that we came out of lockdown too soon. There should have been a more measured end. There should have been a more gradual start to the season with fewer flights and fewer tourists.

Now, I know that there were sound economic reasons for trying to get the tourist industry into the upper gears but perhaps it was all a little fast. As I have said it is easy to criticise but the tourist season has come to an abrupt halt and I sincerely doubt that it is going to restart anytime soon. What could the government have done differently? Perhaps even more safety checks and health warnings but I think it is more a question of the islands´ have failed to convince Britain and Germany that the Balearics were a a safe destinations which demands someone to ponder the future.

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