Eighteen months ago, the Balearic Government was on the point of bringing forward legislation to limit the number of cruise ships visiting the island. Now, they have done a u-turn.
Arguments in favour of such action included environmental pollution from the ships themselves. Additionally, the low economic return to the local community due to an ALLEGED low spend per cruise visitor during their time on the island.
U-turn on cruise ships
Fast forward to this week! It has been announced with GREAT RELISH, the first cruise ship to take passengers will arrive in Mallorca today (Thursday).
A good “old fashioned” Mediterranean Cruise
TUI’s Mein Schiff 2 will dock and take on enthusiastic cruisers for domestic destinations. These include Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Cartagena, Malaga, and Cadiz. A good “old fashioned” Mediterranean Cruise. In a rich turn of irony, Balearic Tourism Minister Iago Negueruela will be on the quayside to welcome the ship. Around 4,000 passengers will be looking forward to a carefree luxury cruise, great food, relaxation, and splendid weather.
For the time being it has all gone quiet in the corridors of Government. It is rumoured, however that other cruise companies including Costa, Royal Caribbean and Aida intend to launch schedules over the next two months.
“A bird in the hand…”
Mallorca is heavily dependent on tourism. And with the stalling and delay of travel opportunities thanks to the British and devolved regional governments in the UK, the attitude seems to be….a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
So for the meantime, cruising and cruisers are welcome!
In dribs and drabs hotels restaurants and bars continue to open their doors in the hope of a worthwhile summer season. However, the previous universal optimism is beginning to fade just a little.
Nothing is certain
The beer and wine are chilling and the weather is fantastic. But there is no doubt the businesses dependent on tourism need a strong “leg up”. However, at the moment, NOTHING is certain.
I will keep you updated as Mallorca slowly opens up to the outside world again.
Hasta luego,
Your Man in Mallorca.
