At the same time, and as the association has been pointing out since June, there has been lower spending. On becoming president last week, Ferrer stated that there had been a 30% fall in turnover.
He adds that a weak high season minimises the possibilities of staying open beyond October, especially in the resort areas. “Whoever can open will open. Restaurants which are better organised and have a network of local clients will hold out.” He believes that restaurants in tourist areas want to stay open after the end of the season, “whenever the situation allows it”. (This said, very few ever do.)
Business in the high season, Ferrer explains, determines whether restaurants remain open or not. “If they have had a good season, they may well open in winter. But if they haven’t, they will think twice.”
It’s a similar story in the retail sector. Carolina Domingo of the Pimeco association says: “Shops that have a bad season will simply not open. We are back to where we were years ago, with many parts of the island almost without activity in the winter months.”
