What's in the news?.

[clinkham]

It looks like you will soon be able to buy the year's first crop of Mallorcan potatoes in the UK,



P.S. Clinkham, get Mrs Clinkham off to Accrington market in a couple of weeks lol!!!!.

Good memory Sparky. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Sparky]

At last there is some good news for Spain's unemployed, this from the MDB http://daily.evoluhcion.es/uploads/archivo/daily/portada.pdf.

Madrid.—Spain’s economy is on
track to expand by a better-thanexpected
1.0 percent in 2014, allowing
moderate job creation for
the first time in six years, Spanish
PrimeMinisterMarianoRajoy said
yesterday in his annual state-ofthe-
nation address to Parliament.
Rajoy, half way through a fouryear
term, said his No. 1 priority is
to reduce one of Europe’s highest
jobless rates, but did not provide a
fresh forecast for unemployment,
which is seen ending this year at
just under 26 percent, its current
rate.
To spur companies to create jobs,
Rajoy said he would immediately
implement24monthsof lower social
security contributions on new
hires for firms that expand their
staff -- responding to a long-standing
demand from employers.
Rajoy, of the centre-right People’s
Party, also promised income
tax relief for lower wage earners
next year as economic growth
picks up to 1.5 percent, three years
after he broke his campaign
pledges and raised income tax to
cut one of Europe’s highest public
deficits.
The new forecast for 2014 economic
growth was in line with a
fresh outlook on Spain’s economy
due from Brussels yesterday, according
to a report in El Pais newspaper,
which cited a draft documentfromtheEuropeanCommission.
Forecast
The Spanish government’s official
forecast in the2014budgethad
been for gross domestic product to
grow0.7 percent thisyear, but economic
officials had already hinted
growth would be more robust,
mostly on the back of stronger exports.
Twoyears after teetering on
the brink of default, and after six
years of economic doldrums,
Spain’sborrowingcostshave fallen
to near-record lows. Exports have
jumpedas companieshavebecome
more competitive due to more
flexible rules on hiring and firing,
introducedbyRajoytwoyears ago.
That has helped the economy to
recoverfromthe2008collapse of a
long building and housing bubble
that brought Spain’s banks to their
knees in a crisis that threatened to
bringdownthe euro commoncurrency.
“Spain was seen as dragging
Europe down and now it is seen as
a driver” Rajoy said ina90-minute
speech that will be followed by debate
with opposition leaders.
Spain’s short-term borrowing
costs dropped yesterday at an auction
of 3-month and 9-month paper,
days after Moody’s credit rating
agency bumped up its ratings
on Spanish debt, citing reforms
that have helped make the economy more
competitive.
Spain raises
economic
growth forecast
b Rajoy said he would implement 24 months
of lower social security contributions.

 

[sws97sdg]

Día de les Illes Balears, happy Balears day everyone, my Mallorca flag is flying

 

[Sparky]

Anyone looking to buy a holiday home?... this from the Majorca Daily Bulletin

Majorcan home for sale for a cool 50 million euros

Pollensa.—Is this one of the most expensive properties in the world? Situated on the outskirts of Alcudia it has a price tag of a record 50 million euros.
Unquestionably one of Majorca’s finest homes, this spectacular residence is set in an outstanding hillside location between the bays of Alcudia and Pollensa. The panoramic views are amongst the best on the Island taking in the sea and lush countryside. Impressively equipped and designed, the home was built in 2007 and has eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms arranged around a courtyard.

 

[Sparky]

And also from the Majorca Daily Bulletin

Majorcan Tourist Board chief calls for meeting over shortage of Winter flights


Gamero:concerned over lack of Winter flights.

By Jason Moore
Palma.—The President of the Majorcan Tourist Board, Eduardo Gamero, called for a meeting yesterday of the tourist industry and the local authorities to address the urgent issue of a shortage of Winter flights to Britain.
Gamero said that the time had come for all sides to “put their heads together and put their cards on the table and reach a deal which could mean more low season flights.”
“The last thing we want at the moment in these difficult times is for airlines to lose money because they are operating non-profitable routes. But if we work together I am sure that we could reach a compromise,” said the President of the Majorcan Tourist Board.
“The lack of flights during the Winter months is a big concern for us. We would like to see a return of the Winter tourism of the 1980s when hotels were open and there were plenty of flights,” he said.

 

[Nick]

Hallelujah..........

 

[smg]

get BA back on LGW-PMI please

 

[pollensafan]

Re Winter flights. I list this alongside the closing of the main rd through the port. I call it groundhog day. It comes up every year. They want more people in the winter, but vast areas of the island shut for the winter, so less flights are laid on as there is less demand. How will you get folk here without opening resorts and so it goes on in a never ending circle . I love PP in the winter but a lot of folk would find it desolate and there in lies the hub of the problem.

 

[Sparky]

Know what you are saying Pollensafan and agree, but this winter the Sis Pins has taken the bull by the horns and have already said they will open again next year so it must have been worthwhile, many bars/restaurants and hotels are opening earlier than usual here and across the island.
I have heard a rumour that the Illa D'Or plan to follow the Sis Pins lead. So maybe it's a case of "Slowly, slowly catchy monkey"....however, as i have always said, it doesn't matter how many places are open....people have to be able to get here, so the government needs to reduce airport landing fees/taxes to encourage the airlines to lay on the flights.

 

[ragdollabbi]

Anyone looking to buy a holiday home?... this from the Majorca Daily Bulletin

No good to me.....I only need 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms

 

[pollensafan]

I have been out to pp for the last 5 Februarys and before that 2 Januarys and each time there has been empty seats all over the plane. This February I got talking to a chap on the plane who was going to palma. He asked where I was going and when I said to PP in the north the first words out of his mouth were " Surely that's all closed in winter ".

Well done to the sis pins and the few that make the effort, but of course the other major problem is folk want sun and they don't see Mallorca as a place to get it through those winter months. Shame really as they don't know what they are missing.

 

[CathB]

Every January when we have come for Sant Antoni the flight has been almost full ( EJ from Bristol ) . Cant comment on Feb as we have not been at that time of year

 

[Ronnie]

Winter Flights from Glasgow

Once Scotland has Independence, we will have plenty flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh,MMMMmmmmmmmmmmm ???????????????.
I envy people who stay in the south of England, as you have flights to choose from.

 

[CathB]

Once Scotland has Independence, we will have plenty flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh,MMMMmmmmmmmmmmm ???????????????.
I envy people who stay in the south of England, as you have flights to choose from.

We have no flights from Cardiff in the winter. ( not much choice in the summer either) and Bristol is a 2 hr drive for us but its far better than nothing. I cannot understand why there is nothing from Scotland

 

[sws97sdg]

But aren't there internal flights from Scotland to London? I would walk to the airport if it meant I could get back over to PP

 

[ragdollabbi]

But aren't there internal flights from Scotland to London? I would walk to the airport if it meant I could get back over to PP

I would walk too if I could, but sometimes the cost of the internal flight from GLA/EDI to one of the London airports costs more than the flights from LON/PMI and then you have to consider the possibility of adding on an overnight if the flight times don't suit. All very costly and time consuming if you can only manage maybe 3/4 days. I don't think there are any flights north of Liverpool during the winter months Fellow Scots out there we need to fight to get some flights from north of the border

 

[Sparky]

I agree with Ragdollabbi. There are no flights south of Bristol and with flights very early in the morning it often means an overnight stay for people coming from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Wales.
The poor Irish and Scots have no chance at at all without it costing a fortune.

 

[Sparky]

The Majorca Daily Bulletin ran this very interesting article, they are actively running a campaign to bring back winter flights and you can email them to show your support here :- editorial@majorcadailybulletin.es

Winter Flights; Financial Risk
There can be no more perfect example of the familiar chicken-or-egg dilemma than Winter Tourism and Winter Flights. As this year’s January has shown Majorca is not getting so good a share of winter tourists as other parts of Spain despite its superior suitability as a winter vacation. One reason is almost certainly that very few hotels are open in winter. Why? Because the number of would-be visitors is not big enough to make opening worthwhile.
Why? Because even those who want to come here can’t find regular flights from accessible airports. Why? Because there aren’t enough people booking seats to make regular services viable. Why? Because the hotels aren’t open...and so it goes on, round and round, with no apparent solution -- except to pass the buck.
But this past week in the Bulletin after several editorial observations on the issue there certainly seemed to be a recognition of the seriousness of the situation and a will to find solutions in time for the winter of 2014/15.
It began on Thursday with a positive defensive statement by the chairman of Monarch Travel Group, Hugh Morgan, in an interview with the Bulletin’s Humphrey Carter. “I would like nothing more than to bring more people to Majorca in the winter” was his opener and he followed it with facts and figures: “To operate four flights a week next winter down to Palma represents a financial risk of around 1.5 million pounds for us. It costs around twenty-one pounds per person just in marketing never mind getting the plane in the air and paying landing fees and other taxes.”
Looking at the situation from a different perspective Mr Morgan said: “If we ran four flights per week next winter that would mean Monarch passengers spending an average of 500 euros per person during their stay, that is a total of 7.5 million euros we would be injecting into the local economy. All we want is between five and six per cent of that to help market and promote a winter flight programme.” With that statement Mr Morgan put his finger on an issue that was picked up the following day in the Bulletin by the President of the Majorcan Tourist Board, Eduardo Gamero, who said: The last thing we want at the moment in these difficult times is for airlines to lose money because they are operating non-profitable routes...The lack of flights during the winter months is a big concern to us. We would like to see a return to the winter tourism of the 1980s when hotels were open and there were plenty of flights.” The membership of the Majorcan Tourist Board includes airlines, hotel groups and travel agents and Sr Gamero said that “It is time for all sides to put their heads together and put their cards on the table and reach a deal which could mean more low season flights...If we all work together we can be successful.”
All that having been said and reported there remains one key player in this complex business whose position is unclear. In his interview with the Bulletin Hugh Morgan spoke frankly about the lack of commitment from the local government, for instance in essential joint promotional projects -- “For two consecutive winters the government promised us funding and marketing assistance only to let us down. It’s going to take a major effort on behalf of the local authorities to convince any airline to operate a winter programme...The authorities are not even prepared to reduce airport operating costs and landing fees, in fact they are planning on putting them up, it’s madness.”

 

[sws97sdg]

How much is a flight from Scotland to London, I bet it isn't a fortune, and a night at a hotel in Gatwick is £45, not cheap but then that's why it's a holiday!
The headlines 'no winter flights' is misleading, there are flights, just not from every location there are in the summer, which of cause there should be, to encourage more winter visitors.
Our flight out from Gatwick in January was half full! So clearly when there are flights. albeit from the south, there are not the people to fill it. It's difficult to encourage more people over, but to say it's just the flights is not the whole story

 

[Sparky]

Of course it's not just the lack of flights SWS and that's not what most people are saying, we know that the government have got to help with reducing landing fees and taxes (i was told once that the Canaries do have these incentives but not sure if that's true) also they must increase funding for promoting the Balearics. Many hotels across the island have opened earlier than normal as have a lot of restaurants/bars. Other activities apart from sunbathing and beach must be promoted as well.

But the fact is that first and foremost, people have to be able to get here on affordable flights at reasonable times.