El Arenal beach, Majorca
(Picture: REUTERS)Hotels in the Balearic Islands could have to stay shut because of a lack of pool supplies, local business leaders have warned.
Products such as swimming pool skimmers, filters and chemicals needed to clean the water are taking months to arrive with the “critical” situation blamed on a crippling Spanish lorry drivers’ strike.
The 20-day strike was suspended on Saturday but the knock-on effect is still being felt and has been exacerbated by a hike in fuel prices.
Joan Puig, president of the Balearic Islands’ Chemical Industry Cluster, sounded his warning as British holidaymakers began their Easter getaway.
He told Majorcan daily Diario de Mallorca: “There are hotels that closed in 2019 and because of Covid have not started getting into gear again until now and after so long, the water and swimming pool filters are in a poor state and need to be changed but for some filters the wait is six months.”
He said some of the hotels may have to stay shut over Easter.
“We’re in a race against time and we don’t see an immediate solution,” he said.
Mr Puig also claimed toilet paper and other cellulose-based products could be a problem in some hotels because of the supply bottleneck, saying the range of items available for purchase could be reduced to a minimum.
His organisation is calling on the Spanish government to “protect and guarantee” the supply of products that could jeopardise the start of the tourist season if they do not arrive in time.
His appeal echoes concerns expressed a fortnight ago by hoteliers in Majorca about the effect of supply problems on the opening times of island hotels.
Benidorm-based hotel association Hosbec last month sounded the alarm over supply problems with concrete for work needed on hotels.
Hosbec president Antonio Mayor said: “There are at least half a dozen hotels that are being refurbished completely in the run-up to the summer.
“As it’s been a few days now since the last deliveries of cement, this work is on the verge of having to be suspended.
“If it’s not fixed soon it’s going to compromise the end date of the work and therefore the reopening dates and that could end up affecting existing holiday bookings.”
The Platform for the Defence of the Freight Transport Sector suspended its strike on Saturday following an agreement between the government and official transport leaders.But it has warned it will reactivate industrial action in a “very short space of time” if it felt it was necessary.
The strike over high fuel prices and poor working conditions has been blamed for a 30 per cent rise in the UK of the cost of some fruit and veg like tomatoes, lettuces and peppers, according to analysts Assosia.
