The tour guides association, Proguías Turísticos de Mallorca, was recently constituted and is a member of the Pimem federation of small to medium-sized businesses. Representatives have had a meeting with the tourism director-general, Rosana Morillo, and chief among their requests was a reactivation of cruise tourism in Palma.
Morillo was asked to forward this request to the president of the Balearic Ports Authority, Francesc Antich. Cruise tourism represents a very important segment for the tour guides, who want to know when cruise ships will return to Palma.
This was a matter raised in the Balearic parliament last Tuesday. At present, there is nothing definite. The Spanish government has not lifted its ban on cruise ships (except in the Canaries), and the health scenarios suggest that there may not be ships until July.
Another big issue for the guides is the intrusion by non-professional guides. In Mallorca and the Balearics, tourism legislation is very clear in indicating requirements and qualifications. Members of the association are regulated by the legislation, and the president - Biel Rosales - insists that better and more effective inspection is needed. In addition, he wants there to be legal definition and regulation of so-called "free tours".