Cruise tourism will provide one of the tests of the new Balearic government and the Partido Popular's election campaign pledge to put an end to policies of tourism decrease as pursued by the former government.
Fundamentally an issue for Palma rather than other ports, the president, Marga Prohens, never expressly stated during the campaign that the current daily limit on the number of cruise ships in Palma would be abandoned. She instead highlighted a commitment to cruise tourism because of the benefits this brings for sectors such as retail and hospitality, while at the same time advocating less polluting ships and staggered arrivals in order to avoid a sensation of "saturation".
One of the two main employers groups, the Pimem federation of small to medium-sized business associations, has said that it hopes the limit will be eliminated. On Thursday, the president of Pimem, Jordi Mora, held a meeting with the tourism minister and director-general for tourism, Jaume Bauzà and Josep Aloy, and the Council of Mallorca's councillor for tourism, Marcial Rodríguez.
Following the meeting, Mora said that the three had indicated that there will be no change for the moment to the regulation of three stopovers per day. Their objective, he added, is the best management of the cruise sector so that there is a positive impact on seasonality. In other words, the government and Council wish to see more cruise tourism in low-season months rather than necessarily seeking more in high-season months, a position which is actually similar to that of the former government.
Carmen Planas, president of the other main employers group, the CAEB Confederation of Balearic Business Associations, reiterated her defence of the cruise sector on Thursday by echoing this desire for more low-season cruise activity.
She added: "Any decision must seek a balance that takes into account the importance of cruise tourism and care for our environment and strict compliance with environmental regulations."
Both CAEB and Pimem are calling for "maximum coordination and collaboration" between government and the cruise operators. But where the government is concerned, there is a sense that it will approach this issue with some caution. The PP have demonstrated that they are aware of public opinion as much as they also advocate a liberalisation of tourism policies. The decision to retain the tourist tax, which has popular support in the Balearics, is an example of this. It now remains to be seen where the party and the government truly stand on what is a contentious issue in Mallorca.