Mallorca hopes trailblazing tourists kickstart economy

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s Balearic Islands are desperate to kick start their suffocating economy in times of pandemic. The islands rely on tourism for 30% of their economy and a recession looms. But with the country timidly relaxing its health lockdown, the islands are betting that their sunny Mediterranean climate and sandy beaches are enough to lure back the tourists their livelihoods depend on. Nearly 11,000 German visitors are arriving to the islands as part of a pilot program to test health protocols to prevent infections. It may be a trickle of tourists, but they are like manna from above for the archipelago’s struggling economy.