Leading the way Palma shopping

IN a bid to boost sales, a route for cruise passengers to follow to Palma’s historic centre was proposed by the federation of small and medium businesses Pimeco. Tourists would be given an itinerary and be able to follow marked paths from the port to the commercial shopping areas.

Facilities would remain open during the times cruise passengers would be visiting. Of the 10,000 or so cruise passengers that arrive in one day, only 10 per cent go shopping in the city as most go on excursions around the island, according to Pimeco president Bernat Coll.

He believes that this is a better solution than that of new Mayor Mateo Isern who proposed that shops stay open longer and 365 days a year. “While this may work at Palma’s beach establishments, it is not the same in the historic centre. Last year’s initiative to open Thursday nights in the centre was a failure,” said Coll.

Street traders also want the Blanquerna area to be semi-pedestrian again because they have lost sales since it became entirely pedestrian, according to Coll.

By Nicole Hallett