Then We Take Berlin

Another holiday fair, another chance for the Mallorcan tourist roadshow to hit town. Now they take Berlin, as every year for the ITB fair, perhaps the most important of all the holiday trade fairs given that Mallorca is almost a state of Germany. All the VIPs are pitching up, including Balearic Government top man Francesc Antich, who has been putting it about at these fairs. Respect to him, and so much for those who have criticised him for not placing tourism at the heart of his agenda. As far as I'm aware, there has been nary sight of nor guitar-chord from the current "face" of Mallorca, Paco de Lucia. I did wonder what being a face of Mallorca did actually entail. Not much it seems, but if he does turn up and does a swift karaoke spot, then my apologies.

Noises from Berlin suggest that this year's German invasion will be every bit as good as last year's. With the Brits also holding their own, and despite the gloom surrounding the economies of Europe, the soon-to-start season would seem to be in reasonable shape. The main concern is mainland Spanish tourism, but as I've pointed out before this is of minor consequence for the north of the island.

At the fair they are still banging on about what Mallorca has to offer all year; still banging on about the same old stuff. Someone told me that some 25,000 German cyclists come to Mallorca over the late winter and early spring. This may sound a lot, but when you consider that the whole visitor "population" for the year is around 11 million, you get a sense of the perspective. Nevertheless, cycling is one of the all-year attractions Mallorca is parading in Berlin together with the other usual suspects and now also Nordic walking. They keep on adding these other bits and pieces to the whole non-high season mix. A little bit of this, a little bit of that; it's like Del Boy and Rodders. Mallorca courtesy of Trotters Independent Trading Company, Peckham and Berlin.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Supergrass. Today's title - this follows "First we take Manhattan". Which Canadian recently returned to a musical career after a stretch as a Zen Buddhist monk?

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