Dear Editor,
I go to Mallorca regularly on holiday, this year is 3 visits in May, July and October, the question I am asked most about my visits "have you had any problems with protesters" my answer is No not yet. My point is that the first thought or question should be how lovely or what resort, Mallorca is getting bad publicity right across Europe regarding these protests and sooner or later the local economy will feel the pain. This is not a problem brought about by tourists, it is a problem that can only be resolved in Mallorca by the authorities, if this problem is not addressed and somebody gets hurt or even worse the Island will get even more bad publicity.
There is sympathy for Mallorca residents but the problem can only be solved in Spain and Mallorca. The Spanish political system should step in and address the problem and deal with it before the tourist goes elsewhere and where they are welcomed with open arms, a bad name can come in the blink of an eye but a good name takes years and years and can be lost in seconds.
If the can keeps getting kicked down the road by the system, sooner or later locals will probably have housing but a very poor economy. Mallorca is a beautiful place. My message to the politicians is look after your locals as well as making yourself very rich off the tourists.
Good luck
Joe
Dear Editor,
Reading your piece on price of 3 beers I nearly died of shock the other day. I had some work to do near Plaza de las Columnas/Pere Garau and I was meeting a client there and as always I am punctual so I decided to take a coffee there and I had noticed a smart new bar had opened actually on the Plaza, bear in mind this is only Plaza de las Columnas not the Borne. I ordered 1 cafe con leche and it was nothing special and I asked for my bill. It was 4.30€, yes four euros 30 in Plaza de las Columnas. I would have even complained paying that in Plaza Juan Carlos. When complaining the waiter just shrugged his shoulders. I know he is only the waiter and doesn't set the prices but that is out of order.
Michael Everett
Dear Editor
Your enjoyable Bulletin has devoted 4 pages before page12 to anti-tourism which is becoming a problem if not always obvious an undercurrent. Not necessarily Spielberg pictured in the last edition but the Americans are moving over here eg Ellen De Generes lives in the English Cotswolds country side etc.
The government as UK will be slow with affordable housing. Locals can utilise a room for AIR BNB which has maybe exacerbated the problem. The ‘haves and have nots’ as in UK is becoming wider no moreso underlined by the demonstrators seeing the hat trick of super yachts on your front page at Port Portals. I'm not anti-tourism, I'm not anti-supercars or superyachts but I do feel for locals who are unable to get affordable housing and should have the things we all treasure. They wouldn’t be demonstrating if they didn’t feel strongly here and elsewhere would they? Life has plenty to do doesn’t it?
Mallorca is an island which takes some beating not an island which is and doesn’t need to see a beating! Until next time September.
Kind regards
Brian Linford, Pontefract