Escarrer: "Tourism provides wealth, quality employment, and must be managed well, not attacked."

PalmThe president and CEO of Melià Hotels, Gabriel Escarrer, called for a reluctance to attack tourism, an industry that "creates wealth" and generates "quality employment." In social media posts reported by Europa Press, Escarrer referred to what he called "irresponsible anti-tourism campaigns by some" that, in his opinion, instead of contributing to improving the management of the sector, prefer to "demonize and harm it."

In this way, Escarrer praised the campaign launched this Monday by the Mallorcan Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) for thanking visitors who choose the island as a tourist destination, with positive messages that will be disseminated on billboards and other media. "In the Balearic Islands, we love our land and we love tourists," the businessman stated, once again emphasizing the quality employment generated by tourism.

The Mallorca Hotel Federation (FEHM) has launched the "Tourist, go home happy" gratitude campaign with around twenty billboards displaying a message of gratitude toward tourists. According to FEHM president Javier Vich, tourists "pay the 235,000 salaries generated by the sector during the months of July and August." This slogan serves as a counter to the classic "Tourist, go home," a common slogan at demonstrations against overcrowded tourism.

This campaign follows the graffiti Arran made on Friday on the facade of the Ministry of Tourism, in front of which activists also burned photographs of politicians and hoteliers. The graffiti, which Palma City Council abruptly removed, read: "Guilty of our misery."