Saturday, February 18, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Joint tourism promotion effort in Puerto Pollensa
Pollensa town hall is joining forces with hotels and other local businesses in Puerto Pollensa in attempt to create a unified tourism promotion effort for the resort this year. The town hall has a promotion budget of 300,000 euros, slightly down on last year.
MALLORCA TODAY - New report may lead to redefinition of Ullal
To the ongoing argument as to the land classification of the Ullal wetland area of Puerto Pollensa has now been added a report from the regional government environment ministry which adds weight to the possibility that what is currently protected land would, under a revision of the "Plan Hidrológico" (water resources plan), be reclassified as an area for development. The matter is due for further debate by the town hall at its next meeting on 1 March.
Further to this, the Alternativa Party has circulated information relating to a company called Ullal Park S.L., a development business that was created originally in 2006, dissolved in 2007 and then reactivated in 2010. The Alternativa alleges that changes to land classification are at least in part in response to the interests of this company.
Further to this, the Alternativa Party has circulated information relating to a company called Ullal Park S.L., a development business that was created originally in 2006, dissolved in 2007 and then reactivated in 2010. The Alternativa alleges that changes to land classification are at least in part in response to the interests of this company.
MALLORCA TODAY - Working week to be extended for public workers
Workers employed in the public sector in Mallorca and the Balearics could soon find themselves having to work two and a half hours longer each week. The regional government plans to follow the lead of central government in extending the working week from 35 to 37.5 hours per week.
MALLORCA TODAY - Snub to Puerto Pollensa military base celebration
Representatives of the PSM Mallorcan socialists and the Esquerra Republicana at Pollensa town hall are to reject an invitation to attend the celebration on Monday (20 February) to mark the 75th anniversary of Puerto Pollensa's military base. The parties object to the continued use of the base by military personnel only, there having been repeated calls for it to be opened up to civilians. The base also operates as a holiday centre for military personnel from Spain and NATO countries.
MALLORCA TODAY - Nadal favourite to lead Spanish Olympics team
Mallorcan Rafael Nadal has emerged as the favourite to lead the Spanish Olympic team into the stadium during the opening celebration of the London games in July.
MALLORCA TODAY - Electricity to be measured in euros
The regional government, looking to assist in ways that consumers can save energy, is to launch a pilot scheme whereby meters would show consumption directly in the actual cost, i.e. in euros and centimos rather than in kilowatts per hour.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 18 February 2012
A greyish, quiet start this morning with a coastal high of 8.4C. Likely to clear quickly and be a reasonably good, sunny day, with the weekend staying generally fine.
Afternoon update: It didn't clear quickly. Rather, there was some rain this morning before the sun finally appeared in the afternoon. A high of 13.6C.
Afternoon update: It didn't clear quickly. Rather, there was some rain this morning before the sun finally appeared in the afternoon. A high of 13.6C.
Private Tourism: Mallorca Tourist Board
The Fomento del Turismo is a strange old organisation; old being appropriate, given that it makes much of its being the oldest tourist board in Europe (founded in 1905). Its name in English, the Mallorca Tourist Board, suggests something official, yet it is a private and independent body. This independence doesn't stretch, however, to being of totally independent means. Its corporate members supply a goodly amount of funds, but the board also relies on government money. And right now, it isn't getting any.
The board now has a new president, the gaffe-prone Pedro Iriondo having stood down and having been replaced by Eduardo Gamero, the ex-director general of tourism during Jaume Matas' time as Balearics president.
Gamero is no doubt seeking to use his political connections to try and swing the current government around to a more favourable stance where the tourist board is concerned, though an association with Matas might not be that much of a positive with President Bauzá who has sought to distance himself from the Matas era.
The government has been playing hardball with the tourist board. It apparently owes the board nearly 300,000 euros and last year failed to enter into an agreement of collaboration. The board has been left to survive on its corporate funding, but now finds itself, like pretty much any other organisation in Mallorca, in a delicate financial situation, one that threatens to undermine its work in tourism promotion and specifically that which relates to its press services.
With money so short and especially money for tourism promotion, the government's budget having been slashed into virtual non-existence, the board doesn't have much of a case in going chasing limited public money. Or perhaps it does. The answer, either way, lies in what it does that the government doesn't.
One area of its work that does appear to differ to that of the government is in the organisation of articles that appear in the international press. To this end, its press centre is involved not just in supplying information but also in arranging for journalists to visit Mallorca, to put them up and hope that they end up writing something nice about the island.
This is a fair enough exercise, but if one considers tourism promotion as a whole, why is it that there are agencies of government and a private and independent body (the tourist board) engaged in otherwise similar activities? If the press centre work is so important, could it not just as easily be operated by the tourism ministry? You have to ask, therefore, why continue with the tourist board or also ask why not hand over to it responsibilities that the government currently has.
There is a feeling that the tourist board's history is what keeps it going. Undoubtedly, it was a hugely important organisation, before, that is, the government started to genuinely organise its own tourism promotion operation, which wasn't until the late 1980s with the establishment of IBATUR, the agency which has since been wound up because it was caught up in corruption scandals in the tourism ministry; IBATUR having now re-emerged as the ATB, the Balearics Tourism Agency.
With the best will in the world, and notwithstanding arranging for fine hotels or villas for journalists in which they can pen glowing pieces about Mallorca, the information element of the press centre isn't particularly remarkable. It is an exercise in pulling together bits of information, but it is an exercise that would not be beyond the abilities of one person sitting in a spare room in a house. In fact, I could do it and would be willing to do so at no doubt significantly less cost. On the credit side, the board reckons that its international press activities in totality bring in four million euros of economic benefit, though how it arrives at this figure and over what period, who knows.
The fact is that the tourist board has not always enjoyed the best of relationships with the government. The current lack of collaboration stems in part, one presumes, from the empty nature of tourism ministry coffers, but it isn't a complete surprise given the at-times strained relationship with previous administrations, and is less of a surprise as minister Delgado has had to wield the axe so dramatically.
The tourist board may have to face up to a future in which it really is independent insofar as its funding is all private. It cannot use 107 years of history as a means of justifying public money. If it is to get this public money, there has to be a clear agreement as to what it does and can do that the government cannot or could not.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
The board now has a new president, the gaffe-prone Pedro Iriondo having stood down and having been replaced by Eduardo Gamero, the ex-director general of tourism during Jaume Matas' time as Balearics president.
Gamero is no doubt seeking to use his political connections to try and swing the current government around to a more favourable stance where the tourist board is concerned, though an association with Matas might not be that much of a positive with President Bauzá who has sought to distance himself from the Matas era.
The government has been playing hardball with the tourist board. It apparently owes the board nearly 300,000 euros and last year failed to enter into an agreement of collaboration. The board has been left to survive on its corporate funding, but now finds itself, like pretty much any other organisation in Mallorca, in a delicate financial situation, one that threatens to undermine its work in tourism promotion and specifically that which relates to its press services.
With money so short and especially money for tourism promotion, the government's budget having been slashed into virtual non-existence, the board doesn't have much of a case in going chasing limited public money. Or perhaps it does. The answer, either way, lies in what it does that the government doesn't.
One area of its work that does appear to differ to that of the government is in the organisation of articles that appear in the international press. To this end, its press centre is involved not just in supplying information but also in arranging for journalists to visit Mallorca, to put them up and hope that they end up writing something nice about the island.
This is a fair enough exercise, but if one considers tourism promotion as a whole, why is it that there are agencies of government and a private and independent body (the tourist board) engaged in otherwise similar activities? If the press centre work is so important, could it not just as easily be operated by the tourism ministry? You have to ask, therefore, why continue with the tourist board or also ask why not hand over to it responsibilities that the government currently has.
There is a feeling that the tourist board's history is what keeps it going. Undoubtedly, it was a hugely important organisation, before, that is, the government started to genuinely organise its own tourism promotion operation, which wasn't until the late 1980s with the establishment of IBATUR, the agency which has since been wound up because it was caught up in corruption scandals in the tourism ministry; IBATUR having now re-emerged as the ATB, the Balearics Tourism Agency.
With the best will in the world, and notwithstanding arranging for fine hotels or villas for journalists in which they can pen glowing pieces about Mallorca, the information element of the press centre isn't particularly remarkable. It is an exercise in pulling together bits of information, but it is an exercise that would not be beyond the abilities of one person sitting in a spare room in a house. In fact, I could do it and would be willing to do so at no doubt significantly less cost. On the credit side, the board reckons that its international press activities in totality bring in four million euros of economic benefit, though how it arrives at this figure and over what period, who knows.
The fact is that the tourist board has not always enjoyed the best of relationships with the government. The current lack of collaboration stems in part, one presumes, from the empty nature of tourism ministry coffers, but it isn't a complete surprise given the at-times strained relationship with previous administrations, and is less of a surprise as minister Delgado has had to wield the axe so dramatically.
The tourist board may have to face up to a future in which it really is independent insofar as its funding is all private. It cannot use 107 years of history as a means of justifying public money. If it is to get this public money, there has to be a clear agreement as to what it does and can do that the government cannot or could not.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Friday, February 17, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Mallorca Tourist Board in financial difficulty
The Fomento del Turismo (commonly referred to in English as the Mallorca Tourist Board) faces a difficult economic situation and in continuing its role in tourism promotion if it does not get financial aid from the regional government. The problems facing the board were outlined by the new president Eduardo Gamero, who has replaced Pedro Iriondo. The board is in fact a private organisation represented by businesses from different parts of the tourism industry.
MALLORCA TODAY - Breast cancer screening affected by health cuts
Cuts to the regional health service in Mallorca are being blamed for delays and difficulties in making appointments for breast cancer screening for women between the ages of 50 and 69. The health authority says that it is working on modifications to the screening programme to improve its efficiency, but meanwhile appointments at Inca hospital are not being made and have to be at either Son Llàtzer or Manacor hospital.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 17 February 2012
A dingy sort of morning, quiet on the wind front and a high of 9.3C at 08:00. The day's maximum should be around 13, a similar value due to be repeated over the weekend with a mix of sun and cloud.
Afternoon update: The morning's greyness disappeared to be replaced for a time by sun but then it was back to greyness and also some rain, followed by some more sun. A mixed bag in other words. The day's high has been 14.3C.
Afternoon update: The morning's greyness disappeared to be replaced for a time by sun but then it was back to greyness and also some rain, followed by some more sun. A mixed bag in other words. The day's high has been 14.3C.
Mallorca's Big Freeze
Do you remember the winter of 2012? This will be the question posed in years to come when tales of the Mallorcan winter will have reached levels of preposterous exaggeration and will have entered folklore in granting 2012 the title of the big Mallorcan freeze.
Unfortunately, for Mallorca's northern parts and some other parts, the big freeze was something of an anti-freeze. Yes, it was cold, but snow? Too few snowflakes to mention. It snowed. A bit. And not as much as it did two years ago. But nevertheless, the year of the big freeze will find its way into the annals of what was, for anyone on much of mainland Europe, no more than a slight cold snap.
1956 was a different kettle of fish. And the chances were that the fish were left unmolested for some three weeks back then. So much did it snow that it lingered for a week on pavements (or what would have passed for pavements 56 years ago) in places such as Can Picafort. This, at least, is what a "picaforter" tells me, though he clearly isn't 56 years old.
Nevertheless, 1956 was Mallorca's 1962-1963, the winter in Britain when the country came to a standstill for months on end. And do you remember the winter of 1962-1963? I do. The big freeze was no myth. In 1956 in Mallorca, though, there was snow to a depth of 60 centimetres up in the mountains. Nearly two feet in old money. That was a fair old amount of snow, especially for an island where it isn't meant to snow, yet where it does with reasonable regularity.
But back to the fish. At this time of the year, the fishermen expect to take to their boats and go and hound the little "jonquillo" goby fish, catch them in abundance, haul them in and let them be given a sound old battering by the local restaurants. For 1956, the tales are probably so tall that the sea froze. It hasn't frozen in 2012, but marine conditions have been so bad that the jonquillo have been left to swim around rather longer than they might normally do.
The fishermen have been just one set of victims of Mallorca's anti-freeze 2012. Endless photos of what may or may not have been snow posted onto Facebook have been joined by endless other tales of woe. School buses couldn't make it through, planes were grounded because Palma airport had no de-icer, and staff at Pollensa town hall have been forced to wear mittens.
This latter tale of woe isn't, however, anything to do with the anti-freeze of 2012. It has to do with the inadequacy of the heating system. A couple of million or more spent on renovating Pollensa town hall and someone forgot that it can get cold in the old buildings with extremely high ceilings in Mallorca. Clearly this someone hadn't been around in 1956. He or she should have had a word with the bloke in Can Picafort.
Or, he or she should have had a word with the chap from Pollensa's tourist office when it used to be located in Sant Domingo, another ancient stone edifice with high ceilings. One afternoon I found him with gloves on, a heavy coat and a scarf, huddled next to a useless oil-fired radiator. He could barely speak. At some point, maybe in 56 years time when there is another "record" cold snap, they'll have finally got round to realising that most buildings in Mallorca are utterly hopeless in anything other than 40 degrees in summer, and even then most of them are also hopeless.
Still, at least at Pollensa town hall and certainly in the seas in the north of the island, there was water. Unlike in Sa Pobla where lightning struck and the town's water supply went down. Had this water outage lasted longer than much of one day, they could have rung up the ruddy great desalination plant in Alcúdia that no one uses, except for Pollensa. They don't have to worry about wells being put out of action in Pollensa as they are as inadequate as the town hall's heating system; hence a reliance on salty water turned drinkable, which one hopes isn't full of jonquillo because the fishermen haven't been able to get out for a couple of weeks.
Were the town hall to have a decent heating system, it might be because it runs on natural gas. And this, gas, is another tale of the big anti-freeze of 2012. Record gas consumption levels have been registered, say Endesa proudly, conveniently ignoring the fact that records have been in existence for no more than a couple of years, the length of time there has actually been natural gas on Mallorca.
Yes, we will remember the winter of 2012. We won't be allowed to forget it thanks to Mallorcan "veterans" who will remind everyone of the anti-freeze in years to come when the question is asked as to what the weather's like in February. And if they don't remind everyone, there will be something wrong. Like they will be saying it's 20 degrees plus and glorious. And the fact is that they wouldn't be wrong. Because this is what it is likely to be in a week's time. Do you remember the winter of 2012? What winter?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Unfortunately, for Mallorca's northern parts and some other parts, the big freeze was something of an anti-freeze. Yes, it was cold, but snow? Too few snowflakes to mention. It snowed. A bit. And not as much as it did two years ago. But nevertheless, the year of the big freeze will find its way into the annals of what was, for anyone on much of mainland Europe, no more than a slight cold snap.
1956 was a different kettle of fish. And the chances were that the fish were left unmolested for some three weeks back then. So much did it snow that it lingered for a week on pavements (or what would have passed for pavements 56 years ago) in places such as Can Picafort. This, at least, is what a "picaforter" tells me, though he clearly isn't 56 years old.
Nevertheless, 1956 was Mallorca's 1962-1963, the winter in Britain when the country came to a standstill for months on end. And do you remember the winter of 1962-1963? I do. The big freeze was no myth. In 1956 in Mallorca, though, there was snow to a depth of 60 centimetres up in the mountains. Nearly two feet in old money. That was a fair old amount of snow, especially for an island where it isn't meant to snow, yet where it does with reasonable regularity.
But back to the fish. At this time of the year, the fishermen expect to take to their boats and go and hound the little "jonquillo" goby fish, catch them in abundance, haul them in and let them be given a sound old battering by the local restaurants. For 1956, the tales are probably so tall that the sea froze. It hasn't frozen in 2012, but marine conditions have been so bad that the jonquillo have been left to swim around rather longer than they might normally do.
The fishermen have been just one set of victims of Mallorca's anti-freeze 2012. Endless photos of what may or may not have been snow posted onto Facebook have been joined by endless other tales of woe. School buses couldn't make it through, planes were grounded because Palma airport had no de-icer, and staff at Pollensa town hall have been forced to wear mittens.
This latter tale of woe isn't, however, anything to do with the anti-freeze of 2012. It has to do with the inadequacy of the heating system. A couple of million or more spent on renovating Pollensa town hall and someone forgot that it can get cold in the old buildings with extremely high ceilings in Mallorca. Clearly this someone hadn't been around in 1956. He or she should have had a word with the bloke in Can Picafort.
Or, he or she should have had a word with the chap from Pollensa's tourist office when it used to be located in Sant Domingo, another ancient stone edifice with high ceilings. One afternoon I found him with gloves on, a heavy coat and a scarf, huddled next to a useless oil-fired radiator. He could barely speak. At some point, maybe in 56 years time when there is another "record" cold snap, they'll have finally got round to realising that most buildings in Mallorca are utterly hopeless in anything other than 40 degrees in summer, and even then most of them are also hopeless.
Still, at least at Pollensa town hall and certainly in the seas in the north of the island, there was water. Unlike in Sa Pobla where lightning struck and the town's water supply went down. Had this water outage lasted longer than much of one day, they could have rung up the ruddy great desalination plant in Alcúdia that no one uses, except for Pollensa. They don't have to worry about wells being put out of action in Pollensa as they are as inadequate as the town hall's heating system; hence a reliance on salty water turned drinkable, which one hopes isn't full of jonquillo because the fishermen haven't been able to get out for a couple of weeks.
Were the town hall to have a decent heating system, it might be because it runs on natural gas. And this, gas, is another tale of the big anti-freeze of 2012. Record gas consumption levels have been registered, say Endesa proudly, conveniently ignoring the fact that records have been in existence for no more than a couple of years, the length of time there has actually been natural gas on Mallorca.
Yes, we will remember the winter of 2012. We won't be allowed to forget it thanks to Mallorcan "veterans" who will remind everyone of the anti-freeze in years to come when the question is asked as to what the weather's like in February. And if they don't remind everyone, there will be something wrong. Like they will be saying it's 20 degrees plus and glorious. And the fact is that they wouldn't be wrong. Because this is what it is likely to be in a week's time. Do you remember the winter of 2012? What winter?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Inauguration of rail electrification
The electrification of the rail line between Palma and Inca has been inaugurated today, the regional government voicing its intention to also electrify the line's branches to Sa Pobla and Manacor. Rail workers meanwhile are none too impressed with the celebration, as the electrification has been in operation for more than two months.
MALLORCA TODAY - Petrol prices reach new record high
The increase in petrol prices in Spain continues. A litre of petrol now costs almost 10% more than it did a year ago, the typical cost for Super 95 being 1.392 euros.
MALLORCA TODAY - Human error blamed for Formentera ferry accident
Ibiza maritime officials are suggesting that human error and excessive speed were probably to blame for the Maverick Dos ferry (operated by Baleària) running aground in Formentera yesterday evening. Only one person on board was slightly injured (there were only 27 people in total on the ferry), and measures to prevent any spillage have been taken.
Further information regarding the accident establishes that the safety procedures for taking passengers off the ferry worked perfectly and without incident, the ferry's captain and first officer remaining till the last to effect the evacuation. There also appears to have been no rupture of fuel lines that might create a spillage.
Further information regarding the accident establishes that the safety procedures for taking passengers off the ferry worked perfectly and without incident, the ferry's captain and first officer remaining till the last to effect the evacuation. There also appears to have been no rupture of fuel lines that might create a spillage.
MALLORCA TODAY - Town hall staff have to wear mittens
Pollensa town hall may have been renovated at significant cost, but its heating system doesn't work in anything like the way it should do. During the recent cold weather, staff have had to resort to wearing mittens and putting blankets over their legs and to employing heaters that bring with them the risk of fire.
(Personally, I found the building to be more than adequately heated when I was there recently. Mind you, this was in the mayor's office.)
(Personally, I found the building to be more than adequately heated when I was there recently. Mind you, this was in the mayor's office.)
MALLORCA TODAY - Lightning strike leaves Sa Pobla without water
An odd victim of bad weather. The storm of Tuesday (14 February) afternoon led to a lightning strike on Sa Pobla's water plant, knocking out two pumping engines and leaving the town without drinking water supply for some 17 hours.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 16 February 2012
A blue and cloudless sky, a calm morning and a local high of 7.4C at 08:00. So things are back to what might be hoped for the time being, though tomorrow is due to be cloudy again. Day highs expected to be 13 or 14 over the next few days.
Afternoon update: Positively balmy by comparison with recent weather. Sunny all day with a high of 14.3C, the sun has felt quite warm.
Afternoon update: Positively balmy by comparison with recent weather. Sunny all day with a high of 14.3C, the sun has felt quite warm.
Re-thinking Resorts: Magalluf and hotels
"To build four hotels with 2000 rooms, where on earth are they going to find the people to fill them?"
This was a question posed by Sue of Magalluf the other day in "The Bulletin". It's a reasonable question. And to an inability to fill existing hotels can be added anti-social behaviour in the resort as a reason for questioning the wisdom of the new development.
Though plans for these hotels may have been in existence, the government had implied that its revision of the tourism law did not envisage new developments. Indeed, all the noises that have come from the government, and the previous one, had suggested that there was a preference for a reduction in hotel stock, as has been the plan for Playa de Palma.
Now, however, we have a situation in which, in addition to four new hotels in Magalluf, there will be new complexes in Campos and Capdepera, both of them established in principle for some years.
In Magalluf's case, there is, unlike for example the luxury development contemplated for Canyamel in Capdepera, a marketing problem. It is one of image. Both the new Viva hotels and the overhaul of current hotels that Meliá is to embark upon come up against Magalluf's reputation.
Magalluf is a cracking resort, primarily because it is so bonkers, but to suggest that it enjoys a reputation for more than just the good old family holiday and the lads and ladettes on tour would be wide of the mark. If Meliá and Viva are going to make their plans work, they are also going to have to work damned hard on re-branding the resort. Are they aware of the "Shagalluf" nickname?
If Magalluf is to undergo a four-starring, then it needs to acquire a four-star reputation. Meliá and Viva will doubtless achieve this in their own developments, but a dog of a resort having previously been given a bad name creates a stumbling-block. Meliá may be able to spin a Sol Calvià Resort name within a resort, but they can Sol, Calvià and Resort all they like; Magalluf is Magalluf. Changing the style of the resort by changing the style of hotels will ultimately, one would imagine the thinking is going, change the style of tourists, but you have to attract them in the first place. This will require more than just some new hotels.
It won't be easy, but it may be easier if this is a reconceptualisation of a resort with new or different markets in mind, i.e. not predominantly British. It is just conceivable to consider that within ten years Magalluf will be a very different place with a very different tourism profile. But old habits die hard, and no more so than among tour operators for whom Magalluf has represented a solid product for a solid and traditional tourism market, namely the Brits.
Notwithstanding the challenge of re-branding, filling hotel places might not be the problem it appears. The tourism law will permit change of use of some hotels. Meliá already contemplate this in their redevelopment. If this change of use is to residential use, then the existing hotel stock is whittled down and is replaced by the new. It is quite a sophisticated solution to a problem in Mallorca, which is one of land that is designated for either tourism or residential purposes.
By changing the use of existing real estate, the availability of residential accommodation can increase. New hotel developments gobble up some new land, but relatively little. The total number of hotel places may therefore end up being roughly the same as at present, so filling them will be no more of a problem than it currently is.
It is a neat idea. Though the government may not have been entirely accurate when it suggested that there would not be new developments, the new law does make a great deal of sense: freeing up real estate for living purposes while also setting in motion an improvement in hotel quality. But change of use is key to the whole thing, and here the government has fallen victim to the interests of the town halls. It has been forced to bow to pressure that means town halls, and not it, will still have the final say as to whether there is a change of use or not. Calvià might not pose too much of an obstacle if Carlos Delgado can still wield some influence, but this can't be relied on. The government should have had the courage to tell the town halls to get lost.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
This was a question posed by Sue of Magalluf the other day in "The Bulletin". It's a reasonable question. And to an inability to fill existing hotels can be added anti-social behaviour in the resort as a reason for questioning the wisdom of the new development.
Though plans for these hotels may have been in existence, the government had implied that its revision of the tourism law did not envisage new developments. Indeed, all the noises that have come from the government, and the previous one, had suggested that there was a preference for a reduction in hotel stock, as has been the plan for Playa de Palma.
Now, however, we have a situation in which, in addition to four new hotels in Magalluf, there will be new complexes in Campos and Capdepera, both of them established in principle for some years.
In Magalluf's case, there is, unlike for example the luxury development contemplated for Canyamel in Capdepera, a marketing problem. It is one of image. Both the new Viva hotels and the overhaul of current hotels that Meliá is to embark upon come up against Magalluf's reputation.
Magalluf is a cracking resort, primarily because it is so bonkers, but to suggest that it enjoys a reputation for more than just the good old family holiday and the lads and ladettes on tour would be wide of the mark. If Meliá and Viva are going to make their plans work, they are also going to have to work damned hard on re-branding the resort. Are they aware of the "Shagalluf" nickname?
If Magalluf is to undergo a four-starring, then it needs to acquire a four-star reputation. Meliá and Viva will doubtless achieve this in their own developments, but a dog of a resort having previously been given a bad name creates a stumbling-block. Meliá may be able to spin a Sol Calvià Resort name within a resort, but they can Sol, Calvià and Resort all they like; Magalluf is Magalluf. Changing the style of the resort by changing the style of hotels will ultimately, one would imagine the thinking is going, change the style of tourists, but you have to attract them in the first place. This will require more than just some new hotels.
It won't be easy, but it may be easier if this is a reconceptualisation of a resort with new or different markets in mind, i.e. not predominantly British. It is just conceivable to consider that within ten years Magalluf will be a very different place with a very different tourism profile. But old habits die hard, and no more so than among tour operators for whom Magalluf has represented a solid product for a solid and traditional tourism market, namely the Brits.
Notwithstanding the challenge of re-branding, filling hotel places might not be the problem it appears. The tourism law will permit change of use of some hotels. Meliá already contemplate this in their redevelopment. If this change of use is to residential use, then the existing hotel stock is whittled down and is replaced by the new. It is quite a sophisticated solution to a problem in Mallorca, which is one of land that is designated for either tourism or residential purposes.
By changing the use of existing real estate, the availability of residential accommodation can increase. New hotel developments gobble up some new land, but relatively little. The total number of hotel places may therefore end up being roughly the same as at present, so filling them will be no more of a problem than it currently is.
It is a neat idea. Though the government may not have been entirely accurate when it suggested that there would not be new developments, the new law does make a great deal of sense: freeing up real estate for living purposes while also setting in motion an improvement in hotel quality. But change of use is key to the whole thing, and here the government has fallen victim to the interests of the town halls. It has been forced to bow to pressure that means town halls, and not it, will still have the final say as to whether there is a change of use or not. Calvià might not pose too much of an obstacle if Carlos Delgado can still wield some influence, but this can't be relied on. The government should have had the courage to tell the town halls to get lost.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Bauzá labelled a fascist by union leader
Lorenzo Bravo, secretary-general of the UGT union in the Balearics has called President Bauzá a fascist, later explaining that it was not the intention to insult the president but to draw attention to a call for him to set up a dialogue with the unions as part of the tackling of the islands' economic crisis. This is not the first time that Bravo has levelled an insult at the government. In September last year, he branded the Partido Popular pigs and had to publicly apologise when faced with possible legal action.
Update (17 February): The government has instructed the Balearics Attorney-General to consider legal action against Bravo.
Update (17 February): The government has instructed the Balearics Attorney-General to consider legal action against Bravo.
MALLORCA TODAY - Mallorca breaks records for gas consumption
For two successive days, Monday and Tuesday this week, the amount of gas used by consumers in Mallorca has reached record levels. On account of the cold temperatures, Tuesday's consumption outstripped that on Monday. The first fortnight of February saw total consumption go up by over 50% compared with the same two weeks last year.
(It should be pointed out that these records are for gas supply and not butane. As such, therefore, the records are only recent as there has only recently been gas supply in Mallorca.)
(It should be pointed out that these records are for gas supply and not butane. As such, therefore, the records are only recent as there has only recently been gas supply in Mallorca.)
MALLORCA TODAY - Call for Princess Cristina to be subpoenaed
Manos Limpias, the union that has been closely involved with the case against Judge Baltasar Garzón for overstepping his authority in seeking to investigate crimes against humanity during the Franco era and which had previously sought to include evidence from Valencia in the case against the Duke of Palma (Iñaki Urdangarin) currently being heard in Palma, has now called on the judge in the "caso Palma Arena" to subpoena the Duke's wife Princess Cristina, daughter of King Juan Carlos.
MALLORCA TODAY - Inflation falls in the Balearics
There has been a fall of 2.1% in the annual inflation rate in the Balearics and a specific fall of 0.6% in January. Over the past year the greatest price rises have been for transport and entertainment and the greatest falls have been for telecommunications and medicines.
MALLORCA TODAY - Taxi fares on the rise
Taxi fares are set to rise by up to 5% in Mallorca and other Balearic islands, and meantime there are particular issues in Palma where taxi drivers are planning to protest against town hall policies of liberalisation of the service.
In another development, taxis are now to be allowed to pick up passengers outside of the municipalities in which they are licensed.
In another development, taxis are now to be allowed to pick up passengers outside of the municipalities in which they are licensed.
MALLORCA TODAY - Bad weather affects potatoes and fishing
Previous concerns that the first Sa Pobla potato harvest would be harmed by the cold weather have been exacerbated by what might be the eventual cost. Electricity consumption has shot up and has had to be made before midnight, from which time producers enjoy off-peak tariffs. Meanwhile, fishermen at the ports in northern Mallorca, especially those who use traditional craft, have been unable to operate for around two weeks because of marine conditions, so interrupting specific catches, notably that of the "jonquillo" (transparent goby fish) that is in season until March.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 15 February 2012
Another wet and grey start but feeling milder, thunder and lightning later on yesterday suggesting the arrival of some warmer air. Local high only just under 8 degrees at 08:00, but it went up to almost 11C overnight. Things are meant to be sunnier today.
Afternoon update: It became a pleasant, sunny day. Quite breezy and a high of 12.3C.
Afternoon update: It became a pleasant, sunny day. Quite breezy and a high of 12.3C.
Confidence Trick: Spanish consumers
Who are the least pessimistic consumers in Europe? There are no prizes for guessing that the Germans are the most optimistic, but there is a prize for guessing that they are followed in the pessimism/optimism stakes by the Spanish.
The Germany-based market research organisation GfK issues regular surveys of consumer confidence across Europe, and its latest report suggests that, though Spanish consumers have certain reservations, they are far less anxious than their counterparts in countries such as Italy, France and the UK.
Set against the background of the economic woes afflicting Spain, the finding is little short of staggering. It may reflect a confidence "bounce" on the back of the Partido Popular's election victory in November, but even this might be questionable, given that the Rajoy government has done nothing to hint that there will be growth and has done everything to set out a plan for austerity with a Merkozy seal of approval.
The Germans have praised the government for the intent it has shown in introducing labour reforms, so in this respect Rajoy might be moving Spain away from the abyss. The latest Greek bail-out (assuming it does happen) also removes a short-term prospect of the markets finding the next candidate to take down, one of which remains Spain. There is some stability, albeit shaky, and it is this perception of stability that the consumers in the GfK survey seem to be responding to.
It is difficult, however, to be optimistic in believing that the more optimistic consumers of Spain are experiencing anything other than a transitory and passing state of euphoria. Either this or they are seriously deluding themselves. Or they, the participants in the survey, represent a particular group of society and one from the wealthier and more industrialised parts of Spain.
The painful truth is that there is an awful lot more pain to be endured, and for the foreseeable future. The survey participants are realistic enough to express the reservation that they don't anticipate a return to something like growth for a further three years, but there are plenty of commentators and analysts who would question whether even this is likely.
The government's priority of deficit reduction, together with a lack of finance either from governmental sources or the banking sector, creates a double whammy of economic stasis. The only good news is that if there genuinely is as much optimism among Spain's consumers as the GfK survey suggests, then this could drive some growth. Otherwise, Spain would have to look to exports as a means of economic take-off (which includes tourism).
Denied the conventional tool of increasing competitiveness through currency devaluation, the other option to assist exports is to opt for an internal devaluation, which means a reduction in labour costs. Force this policy and all hell could break out, and an export-driven recovery wouldn't necessarily work anyway; there are, after all, many other European countries with considerably lower levels of confidence than Spain is meant to have.
An internal devaluation would be in line with arguments that Spain's labour costs are simply too high, but there would doubtless be many an employee, who might actually be grateful to be an employee, who would argue otherwise. If an export-led recovery failed, where would that leave the country? Without any domestic consumption to initiate growth because everyone has had their wages cut or is on the dole.
The government's labour reforms do actually offer the possibility of internal devaluation, as companies would be enabled to reduce salaries during periods of downturn. And what is the current situation if not a downturn? It is small wonder that the unions are threatening a general strike.
As far as tourism as an element of economic recovery is concerned, the GfK survey has found that the British are way up the list of those with a tendency to seek savings of whatever sort. And this doesn't represent particularly good news for Mallorcan tourism businesses, already reeling from several years of lower spend. Nor does a previous GfK survey which suggests that the traditional fortnight holiday is itself being cut more and more - to ten or seven days.
While tourism as export will continue to be a means of economic salvation, it will also continue to mean tourism that places the lion's share of its money into hands that aren't necessarily Spanish and that whatever is left over is spent only sparingly and handed over to staff with long faces who have found that their wages have been cut.
Spanish consumers may be more optimistic than those in other countries, but you do have to ask - who are they?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
The Germany-based market research organisation GfK issues regular surveys of consumer confidence across Europe, and its latest report suggests that, though Spanish consumers have certain reservations, they are far less anxious than their counterparts in countries such as Italy, France and the UK.
Set against the background of the economic woes afflicting Spain, the finding is little short of staggering. It may reflect a confidence "bounce" on the back of the Partido Popular's election victory in November, but even this might be questionable, given that the Rajoy government has done nothing to hint that there will be growth and has done everything to set out a plan for austerity with a Merkozy seal of approval.
The Germans have praised the government for the intent it has shown in introducing labour reforms, so in this respect Rajoy might be moving Spain away from the abyss. The latest Greek bail-out (assuming it does happen) also removes a short-term prospect of the markets finding the next candidate to take down, one of which remains Spain. There is some stability, albeit shaky, and it is this perception of stability that the consumers in the GfK survey seem to be responding to.
It is difficult, however, to be optimistic in believing that the more optimistic consumers of Spain are experiencing anything other than a transitory and passing state of euphoria. Either this or they are seriously deluding themselves. Or they, the participants in the survey, represent a particular group of society and one from the wealthier and more industrialised parts of Spain.
The painful truth is that there is an awful lot more pain to be endured, and for the foreseeable future. The survey participants are realistic enough to express the reservation that they don't anticipate a return to something like growth for a further three years, but there are plenty of commentators and analysts who would question whether even this is likely.
The government's priority of deficit reduction, together with a lack of finance either from governmental sources or the banking sector, creates a double whammy of economic stasis. The only good news is that if there genuinely is as much optimism among Spain's consumers as the GfK survey suggests, then this could drive some growth. Otherwise, Spain would have to look to exports as a means of economic take-off (which includes tourism).
Denied the conventional tool of increasing competitiveness through currency devaluation, the other option to assist exports is to opt for an internal devaluation, which means a reduction in labour costs. Force this policy and all hell could break out, and an export-driven recovery wouldn't necessarily work anyway; there are, after all, many other European countries with considerably lower levels of confidence than Spain is meant to have.
An internal devaluation would be in line with arguments that Spain's labour costs are simply too high, but there would doubtless be many an employee, who might actually be grateful to be an employee, who would argue otherwise. If an export-led recovery failed, where would that leave the country? Without any domestic consumption to initiate growth because everyone has had their wages cut or is on the dole.
The government's labour reforms do actually offer the possibility of internal devaluation, as companies would be enabled to reduce salaries during periods of downturn. And what is the current situation if not a downturn? It is small wonder that the unions are threatening a general strike.
As far as tourism as an element of economic recovery is concerned, the GfK survey has found that the British are way up the list of those with a tendency to seek savings of whatever sort. And this doesn't represent particularly good news for Mallorcan tourism businesses, already reeling from several years of lower spend. Nor does a previous GfK survey which suggests that the traditional fortnight holiday is itself being cut more and more - to ten or seven days.
While tourism as export will continue to be a means of economic salvation, it will also continue to mean tourism that places the lion's share of its money into hands that aren't necessarily Spanish and that whatever is left over is spent only sparingly and handed over to staff with long faces who have found that their wages have been cut.
Spanish consumers may be more optimistic than those in other countries, but you do have to ask - who are they?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Mallorca hospitals in crisis
Staff from the emergencies department at Son Espases hospital will protest tomorrow (15 February) against the situation that exists in the department. The protest, due to only last five minutes, is planned to draw attention to cuts that, say the medical staff, have led to overcrowding, too few beds and too few nurses. Meanwhile, the college of doctors in the Balearics has said that the health system is in a critical state, and it has been confirmed that, following the resignation two weeks ago of the director of emergencies at Manacor hospital, in protest at cuts to personnel, the director at Son Espases has also resigned, along with two chief nursing supervisors. The Balearic Government's health minister has said that the resignation of the Son Espases director is for personal reasons and President Bauzá has stated his satisfaction with the health service being provided in the Balearics.
MALLORCA TODAY - Delgado backs down on tourism law
Pressure from town halls has led to tourism minister Carlos Delgado accepting a modification to the proposed new tourism law for the Balearics which will give the town halls the final say in respect of changes of use of hotel accommodation. There are also to be a series of controls related to the quality of service in all-inclusive hotels, though what these are, over and above preventing the taking of food and drink out of hotels (as already contained in the draft legislation), is not clear.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 14 February 2012
A dark and miserable start to Valentine's Day with heavy rain now easing off. Local high of 7 degrees at 08:30, things should get better later on, and tomorrow and Thursday look reasonable.
The met office has released comparisons between the "ola de frío" that has affected Mallorca with the freeze of 1956, the year of genuine records on the island. This year has not been anything as bad. In 1956 the record low was -13.5C, in 2012 it has been -7C; snow accumulated to a depth of 60 centimetres compared with a 30 cms maximum depth in the Tramuntana mountains.
The cold weather has had an effect on the Son Espases and Son Llátzer hospitals. Demand in emergency units has been so high that the units have been brought to virtual standstill with patients not being processed and transferred to regular wards where applicable.
Afternoon update: The rain of the morning finally relented around midday, giving way to some sun but a still bitter wind. Highs just under ten degrees.
The met office has released comparisons between the "ola de frío" that has affected Mallorca with the freeze of 1956, the year of genuine records on the island. This year has not been anything as bad. In 1956 the record low was -13.5C, in 2012 it has been -7C; snow accumulated to a depth of 60 centimetres compared with a 30 cms maximum depth in the Tramuntana mountains.
The cold weather has had an effect on the Son Espases and Son Llátzer hospitals. Demand in emergency units has been so high that the units have been brought to virtual standstill with patients not being processed and transferred to regular wards where applicable.
Afternoon update: The rain of the morning finally relented around midday, giving way to some sun but a still bitter wind. Highs just under ten degrees.
Needling The Spanish: French sporting satire
Sport has long had the capacity to stir up diplomatic unrest. Douglas Jardine's insistence that Larwood and Voce deployed leg theory on the MCC's Ashes Bodyline tour in the early 1930s threatened the relationship between Britain and Australia. This, though, was a purely sporting (or unsporting, were you Australian) incident. The spat between France and Spain is well removed from a sports arena; it is being played out on television.
There has been some needle, so to speak, between the French and the Spanish in the matter of Rafael Nadal. It was spiked by the utterances of Nadal's trainer-uncle, Toni, when he once referred to Parisians as stupid for having supported Roger Federer more than the Muscle of Manacor, and then by the director of Spanish tourism in Paris who not only agreed with Uncle Toni but went on to suggest that the Paris public had no style. (And they wonder why French tourism numbers to Mallorca have remained static since the turn of the century.)
Now it is the turn of the French and in particular the satirical puppet show, "Les Guignols de l'info", to have a go at Nadal. And the Real Madrid and Spanish national team's goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. And the cyclist Alberto Contador. It all comes on the back of former French tennis star Yannick Noah's insinuation that Spanish sport was so far removed from being clean that pretty much all Spanish sportspeople were doping.
Allegations that Nadal may have acquired his physique in ways other than just naturally are nothing new. But there has never been any proof. They are allegations, and though Nadal has sought to brush off the satire directed at him (e.g. using a syringe to write a letter of support to Contador, banned for two years for doping), the Spanish Tennis Federation has said that it is considering suing the show's broadcaster, Canal Plus. It would have a justifiable case in doing so. It may be satire, but it could just as easily be described as defamation.
The spat between Spain and France over the show has now embraced all manner of politicians. The Spanish Ambassador in Paris has been in touch with Canal Plus; the French sports minister has received a letter from the Spanish sports council; the leader of PSOE, Alfredo Rubalcaba, has had his say; and the Partido Popular in the Balearics is presenting a parliamentary motion condemning the "parodies of Spanish sportspeople", one that the opposition parties have criticised, saying that the PP should be worrying more about unemployment.
What kicked it all off was Contador's ban for doping during the 2010 Tour de France. If the 2010 Tour had been the only time that Contador had found himself embroiled in a doping controversy, the French might not have decided it was high time that some satire was directed at him and Spanish sport in general. But it wasn't the only time.
A problem for the Spanish, in defending themselves against the jibes, is that there has been equivocation by sporting authorities and that there has been political influence. The Spanish Cycling Federation was close to giving Contador a one-year ban before former prime minister Zapatero voiced his support for Contador and the federation accepted the defence of meat contamination, which ultimately led the World Anti-Doping Agency to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and to the two-year ban (which in practice will finish in August this year).
Nevertheless, the satirical attacks by Canal Plus and Noah's accusations have caused rightful indignation. As always, in understanding why there is indignation, it is appropriate to consider the reaction were the boot on the other foot, i.e. were the French on the receiving end of doping accusations from Spanish sources.
Nadal does come out of all this pretty well. He has played it down as an attempt at humour, but one that may have gone too far. Whether, however, the Canal Plus show was the catalyst is not clear, but Nadal was subject to a surprise, recent dope test.
In accepting that, rather being personal, the French attacks are aimed at Spanish sport in general, Nadal is aligning himself with the politicians, one of whom, the foreign minister no less, has pointed out that in 2011 there were 62 more cases of doping in France than there were in Spain. Touché. Meanwhile, however, and the political fall-out notwithstanding, the Spanish sport minister has said that there will soon be a new anti-doping law. This may or may not have been planned, but it will now seem timely, and no doubt the French will take the credit.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
There has been some needle, so to speak, between the French and the Spanish in the matter of Rafael Nadal. It was spiked by the utterances of Nadal's trainer-uncle, Toni, when he once referred to Parisians as stupid for having supported Roger Federer more than the Muscle of Manacor, and then by the director of Spanish tourism in Paris who not only agreed with Uncle Toni but went on to suggest that the Paris public had no style. (And they wonder why French tourism numbers to Mallorca have remained static since the turn of the century.)
Now it is the turn of the French and in particular the satirical puppet show, "Les Guignols de l'info", to have a go at Nadal. And the Real Madrid and Spanish national team's goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. And the cyclist Alberto Contador. It all comes on the back of former French tennis star Yannick Noah's insinuation that Spanish sport was so far removed from being clean that pretty much all Spanish sportspeople were doping.
Allegations that Nadal may have acquired his physique in ways other than just naturally are nothing new. But there has never been any proof. They are allegations, and though Nadal has sought to brush off the satire directed at him (e.g. using a syringe to write a letter of support to Contador, banned for two years for doping), the Spanish Tennis Federation has said that it is considering suing the show's broadcaster, Canal Plus. It would have a justifiable case in doing so. It may be satire, but it could just as easily be described as defamation.
The spat between Spain and France over the show has now embraced all manner of politicians. The Spanish Ambassador in Paris has been in touch with Canal Plus; the French sports minister has received a letter from the Spanish sports council; the leader of PSOE, Alfredo Rubalcaba, has had his say; and the Partido Popular in the Balearics is presenting a parliamentary motion condemning the "parodies of Spanish sportspeople", one that the opposition parties have criticised, saying that the PP should be worrying more about unemployment.
What kicked it all off was Contador's ban for doping during the 2010 Tour de France. If the 2010 Tour had been the only time that Contador had found himself embroiled in a doping controversy, the French might not have decided it was high time that some satire was directed at him and Spanish sport in general. But it wasn't the only time.
A problem for the Spanish, in defending themselves against the jibes, is that there has been equivocation by sporting authorities and that there has been political influence. The Spanish Cycling Federation was close to giving Contador a one-year ban before former prime minister Zapatero voiced his support for Contador and the federation accepted the defence of meat contamination, which ultimately led the World Anti-Doping Agency to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and to the two-year ban (which in practice will finish in August this year).
Nevertheless, the satirical attacks by Canal Plus and Noah's accusations have caused rightful indignation. As always, in understanding why there is indignation, it is appropriate to consider the reaction were the boot on the other foot, i.e. were the French on the receiving end of doping accusations from Spanish sources.
Nadal does come out of all this pretty well. He has played it down as an attempt at humour, but one that may have gone too far. Whether, however, the Canal Plus show was the catalyst is not clear, but Nadal was subject to a surprise, recent dope test.
In accepting that, rather being personal, the French attacks are aimed at Spanish sport in general, Nadal is aligning himself with the politicians, one of whom, the foreign minister no less, has pointed out that in 2011 there were 62 more cases of doping in France than there were in Spain. Touché. Meanwhile, however, and the political fall-out notwithstanding, the Spanish sport minister has said that there will soon be a new anti-doping law. This may or may not have been planned, but it will now seem timely, and no doubt the French will take the credit.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Monday, February 13, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Garcia responds to architect's denuncias
Pepe Garcia of the Alternativa Party in Pollensa has responded to denuncias issued against him and other representatives of his party by claiming that the town hall architect who issued them is seeking to stop the party's political activity in the town.
MALLORCA TODAY - Council looks to save on road lighting
The Council of Mallorca intends to cut the number of lampposts on roads in an effort to save some 300,000 euros. The move has been criticised as it could be dangerous for drivers.
MALLORCA TODAY - Pollensa requests cut to price of water
As previously reported, concerns over water supply during the high season, because of the insufficient supply from local wells, have led Pollensa town hall to formally ask for a cut in the price of water from the desalination plant in Alcúdia, Pollensa being the only municipality that has water supplied from the plant.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 13 February 2012
Grey and windy again, though not quite as cold with temperatures ranging from an inland 3.2 to a coastal 5.5 at 09:00. The advice remains in place for possible snow today, while the general prospect is far better weather from midweek, daytime temperatures going back to a more normal 14 degrees.
Afternoon update: A high of 8 degrees this afternoon, which does represent an improvement. Though tomorrow looks like a mixed bag, a gradual return to meteorological normality is in progress.
Afternoon update: A high of 8 degrees this afternoon, which does represent an improvement. Though tomorrow looks like a mixed bag, a gradual return to meteorological normality is in progress.
Aliens Attack Alcúdia: The end of news
Cavemen who took to carving or painting their cave walls with images of alien attacks were early forms of news broadcaster. Denied the possibility to pop out to the nearest B&Q, their efforts would have taken a fair old time, at the end of which the aliens had built their landing-strips, constructed the odd pyramid and then cleared off again.
Hierarchies being what they were and still are, it is quite possible that the carving and painting reporters acquired a degree of social status. They were the first social networkers in an epoch when news travelled slowly and when the bearer of the news could legitimately claim to have broken the news and so could rightly be honoured as its originator.
News continued to travel slowly until relatively recently. Though news agencies obscured the precise source of news, their pooling of information was a system of facilitation with only so much claim being made on origination. It was to news broadcasters and other media to make the greater claims through scoops, exclusives and so on.
The day of the scoop has not passed, but the day of news has. There is now no news because there is now no ownership. It exists in a constantly swirling vortex that grows ever larger, a vast, parameter-less black hole of increasing irrelevance that is moulded, reframed and regurgitated. News is disappearing because nothing much any longer is news; it is already known.
The best recent news that wasn't in fact news came from "WeeklyWorldNews". On 11 January, it reported that Facebook would shut down on 15 March. WWN has also reported that, following the landing in China and the Indonesia Sea of three alien craft from the Planet Gootan, there will be a full-scale alien attack this November.
Unfortunately, WWN is a spoof. There is rather more chance of an alien attack than Facebook being shut down, though if it were to be, how on earth would anyone be able to tell anyone else about the alien attack? They would have to go back to carving and painting.
The first person to do the carving would immediately receive the accolade of social networker of the millennium. He or she would stand out as a genuine passer-on of information, because at present, thanks to Facebook, all other social media, smartphones and indeed the entire internet, such an accolade cannot legitimately be claimed. Every one, every mad, last social media obsessive is at it.
News has ended, as it has been superseded by a global competition and seeking of affirmation through spreading what is already known or what is of little or absolutely no consequence. The competition is fuelled by the very nature of social networks. Sociability comes with a psychological need for affirmation, for peer-group reinforcement, recognition and identity, even if many of the peer group are unknown. The ease of the transmission of non-news or of the already known news is what keeps the finger constantly hovering over the post button on Facebook or the Twitter account.
How on earth has it come to this? To give just one example. It snowed for a brief time around Alcúdia and Pollensa yesterday. It has been snowing on Mallorca for a week or so. Snow is not actually that unusual, even at sea level. The snow didn't even settle. But this brief flurry caused Facebook to go into virtual meltdown.
The end of news, i.e. the fact that it is already known or is of minimal or no significance, has not though deterred the impulse to attempt to be cast as a driver of non-news. Quite the contrary. It is what makes that black hole so very voracious.
Media psychology has, in response to the explosion of social media, acquired a whole niche for itself in the study of human behaviour. Narcissism, group identity, establishment of positions in hierarchies, the need for affirmation; it is old psychology for a new age. And grabbing hold of news, whatever it might be, from wherever it might come, in however many forms it might already exist is an alliance between this established psychology and the maxim of information being power, the latter which is translated not so much into power as such but into an hierarchical status that the identity of the group feels compelled to affirm.
News may have ended, but there is no shortage of cavemen. If they got hold of an imminent alien attack in Alcúdia, now this would be something worth communicating.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Hierarchies being what they were and still are, it is quite possible that the carving and painting reporters acquired a degree of social status. They were the first social networkers in an epoch when news travelled slowly and when the bearer of the news could legitimately claim to have broken the news and so could rightly be honoured as its originator.
News continued to travel slowly until relatively recently. Though news agencies obscured the precise source of news, their pooling of information was a system of facilitation with only so much claim being made on origination. It was to news broadcasters and other media to make the greater claims through scoops, exclusives and so on.
The day of the scoop has not passed, but the day of news has. There is now no news because there is now no ownership. It exists in a constantly swirling vortex that grows ever larger, a vast, parameter-less black hole of increasing irrelevance that is moulded, reframed and regurgitated. News is disappearing because nothing much any longer is news; it is already known.
The best recent news that wasn't in fact news came from "WeeklyWorldNews". On 11 January, it reported that Facebook would shut down on 15 March. WWN has also reported that, following the landing in China and the Indonesia Sea of three alien craft from the Planet Gootan, there will be a full-scale alien attack this November.
Unfortunately, WWN is a spoof. There is rather more chance of an alien attack than Facebook being shut down, though if it were to be, how on earth would anyone be able to tell anyone else about the alien attack? They would have to go back to carving and painting.
The first person to do the carving would immediately receive the accolade of social networker of the millennium. He or she would stand out as a genuine passer-on of information, because at present, thanks to Facebook, all other social media, smartphones and indeed the entire internet, such an accolade cannot legitimately be claimed. Every one, every mad, last social media obsessive is at it.
News has ended, as it has been superseded by a global competition and seeking of affirmation through spreading what is already known or what is of little or absolutely no consequence. The competition is fuelled by the very nature of social networks. Sociability comes with a psychological need for affirmation, for peer-group reinforcement, recognition and identity, even if many of the peer group are unknown. The ease of the transmission of non-news or of the already known news is what keeps the finger constantly hovering over the post button on Facebook or the Twitter account.
How on earth has it come to this? To give just one example. It snowed for a brief time around Alcúdia and Pollensa yesterday. It has been snowing on Mallorca for a week or so. Snow is not actually that unusual, even at sea level. The snow didn't even settle. But this brief flurry caused Facebook to go into virtual meltdown.
The end of news, i.e. the fact that it is already known or is of minimal or no significance, has not though deterred the impulse to attempt to be cast as a driver of non-news. Quite the contrary. It is what makes that black hole so very voracious.
Media psychology has, in response to the explosion of social media, acquired a whole niche for itself in the study of human behaviour. Narcissism, group identity, establishment of positions in hierarchies, the need for affirmation; it is old psychology for a new age. And grabbing hold of news, whatever it might be, from wherever it might come, in however many forms it might already exist is an alliance between this established psychology and the maxim of information being power, the latter which is translated not so much into power as such but into an hierarchical status that the identity of the group feels compelled to affirm.
News may have ended, but there is no shortage of cavemen. If they got hold of an imminent alien attack in Alcúdia, now this would be something worth communicating.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Málaga 3 : 1 Real Mallorca
Mallorca away at Málaga, a side not doing as well as its spending might have suggested it would, and the non-spending visitors sprung a surprise after just three minutes, Pereira firing in a direct free-kick after a foul on Hemed. The lead was shortlived, Fernández responding eight minutes later. Plenty of goal attempts, but 1-1 at the break. From a corner, Toulalan with his right foot put Málaga ahead after nine minutes of the second period. Málaga were dominating when Róndón added a third, and the home side continued to hold the upper hand in running out 3-1 winners.
Málaga:
Caballero; Sánchez, Weligton, Mathijsen, Monreal; Recio (Maresca 71), Toulalan, Cazorla (Eliseu 71), Isco; Fernández, Rondón (Van Nistelrooy 81)
Goals: Fernández (11), Toulalan (54), Rondón (69)
Yellows: Recio (38), Weligton (86)
Mallorca:
Aouate; Crespí, Chico, Nunes, Cáceres (Alfaro 75); Pina, Tissone, Pereira (Nsue 59), Castro; Hemed, Álvaro (Ogunjimi 59)
Goal: Pereira (3)
Yellows: Chico (74), Alfaro (81)
Málaga:
Caballero; Sánchez, Weligton, Mathijsen, Monreal; Recio (Maresca 71), Toulalan, Cazorla (Eliseu 71), Isco; Fernández, Rondón (Van Nistelrooy 81)
Goals: Fernández (11), Toulalan (54), Rondón (69)
Yellows: Recio (38), Weligton (86)
Mallorca:
Aouate; Crespí, Chico, Nunes, Cáceres (Alfaro 75); Pina, Tissone, Pereira (Nsue 59), Castro; Hemed, Álvaro (Ogunjimi 59)
Goal: Pereira (3)
Yellows: Chico (74), Alfaro (81)
MALLORCA TODAY - Pollensa's architect and the Alternativa
Pollensa town hall's architect, who has been the subject of criticisms by the Alternativa Party on its blog website, has issued denuncias against party representatives and has insisted that its councillor, Pepe Garcia, is accompanied by police when making visits to an area where work is being carried out.
MALLORCA TODAY - Santa Margalida's dire financial situation
Santa Margalida town hall's leaders have taken the unusual step of addressing a meeting of residents to explain the precarious situation regarding the town's finances, the total debt having risen to ten million euros. The lack of liquidity has required cuts to services and an increase in local taxes. One victim of the cuts will be the public swimming-pool which will not open this summer as it will cost too much to repair pipework.
MALLORCA TODAY - Lack of funds to tackle processionary caterpillars
The processionary caterpillar, which attacks pine trees across Mallorca and which poses a health risk to humans and animals, is liable to be less controlled than previously owing to a sharp reduction in funds available to the local forestry authority. Typically the moth and caterpillar have been tackled by placing traps in forests to capture the moths and then spraying to kill off the caterpillars in the trees.
MALLORCA TODAY - New Magaluf hotels will be themed
More information is coming out regarding the construction of four new hotels in a complex in Magaluf. Work is due to start within a year's time (though a further report suggests that it will not begin until the end of 2013), and the hotels, in which Viva Hotels will be a major partner, will be themed along health and sporting lines.
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 12 February 2012
Light rain and grey on a cold morning following a particularly cold night. Inland temperature in Pollensa a mere 0.3C at 08:00 and coastal high only 1.9C. Wind is negligible for the moment, but is due to pick up along with the possibility of snow at low levels.
Afternoon update: There has finally been some snow at sea level, but not so much and it didn't settle. Highs between 2.7 inland and 5.5 on the coast.
Afternoon update: There has finally been some snow at sea level, but not so much and it didn't settle. Highs between 2.7 inland and 5.5 on the coast.
Memory Loss: Carnival in Mallorca
I pride myself on having a good memory, but memory, unless you are one of those rare people with hyperthymesia, works in different ways for different people in eliminating, filtering and archiving the past. Overload may have something to do with why some things are not always easy to recall. In my case, it is overload through the sheer amount of words I commit to an Apple Mac in the course of a day, a week, a month or year. Usually I know with clarity when I wrote about a particular subject or that I did write about it. Occasionally, however, I forget that I did or am not immediately able to locate what I thought I wrote about and so end up thinking that I have imagined ever having written it.
It could also be something to do with repetitiousness. I try and avoid this, but it isn't always possible and, with the best will in the world, there are aspects of Mallorcan life which are extremely repetitious. Each year it is the same. The only variables might be the exact schedule of events or when something took place.
And so it is with Carnival. I know, I thought, Carnival's coming up, it'll make a good hook for an article. What could it comprise? A bit about Franco banning it because mask-wearing might have been seditious, a comparison between Fat Thursday in Mallorca and Pancake Day in Britain, the strange tradition of burying the sardine. These all seemed like fertile references for a Carnival article. Until I then also thought - haven't I written about all this before? I had. Last year. End of idea for article.
So, the memory did kick in, but only eventually. But I wondered why the previous article hadn't come straight to mind. Yes, there is the overload possibility, but another is that one's senses and memory are dulled by the constant repetition, while a further is that, of the fiestas, Carnival isn't really that big a deal. It doesn't stand out. Or at least, I have never considered it to.
The Mallorcan Carnival does tend to get lost. The bombardment of fiestas in December and January, of which the events of, say, Three Kings and Sant Antoni stay very firmly in the mind, is such that Carnival, whenever it comes along (and this, the movability of the feast, may be a further explanation as to why it can be rather forgettable) appears to be something of an afterthought. It is fiesta almost for fiesta's sake.
There is an additional possibility. Easter looms as an obvious date in the calendar. Even if it wanders around all over the calendar, you know it's on its way. It is the target fiesta for the late winter or early spring, one to aim for after all the partying that goes on around Christmas and up to the middle of January. Once that partying ends, and up to Easter, it's time to get heads down and do a spot of work for a change. Or this, in a somewhat Anglo-Saxon, shouldn't-we-actually-do-some-work way, is how I tend to look upon what should be a festive hiatus.
Such a perspective doesn't of course chime with that of the locals. Any excuse, and to be honest, Carnival is. If Spain is the destination for a Carnival holiday break, which towns or cities would be top of a visitor's list? Well, there wouldn't be any in Mallorca, that's for sure. Yet again, in the winter destination stakes, Mallorca is beaten into a cocked hat by Tenerife, where they do Carnival big time and with big hats. If you are going to have bright, vibrant, spectacular street parades, it does help if the weather is reasonably warm and that there isn't the possibility of snow. But Carnival there still is, even if it is small festive beer by comparison with Santa Cruz.
One might be tempted to believe that the Mallorcan Carnival is all an expression of what was a reclaiming of a collective memory that old misery guts Franco looked to eradicate from local society's data storage and so is a perpetuation of this rediscovery. Possibly so, but such a justification would now rather over-egg the festive pudding.
This all said, it is an occasion for a spot of dressing-up, and amidst the current dreariness this is no bad thing. The mini-parades, the Ruetas, in which you can expect all manner of junior strangeness of attire (such as children being dressed as ants or having buckets on their heads), combine with the adult Ruas, which can be notable for their costume satire.
It's all fair enough, just that each year Carnival comes round and never quite registers. It is a fiesta that is easy to forget. And that was more or less what I had done.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
It could also be something to do with repetitiousness. I try and avoid this, but it isn't always possible and, with the best will in the world, there are aspects of Mallorcan life which are extremely repetitious. Each year it is the same. The only variables might be the exact schedule of events or when something took place.
And so it is with Carnival. I know, I thought, Carnival's coming up, it'll make a good hook for an article. What could it comprise? A bit about Franco banning it because mask-wearing might have been seditious, a comparison between Fat Thursday in Mallorca and Pancake Day in Britain, the strange tradition of burying the sardine. These all seemed like fertile references for a Carnival article. Until I then also thought - haven't I written about all this before? I had. Last year. End of idea for article.
So, the memory did kick in, but only eventually. But I wondered why the previous article hadn't come straight to mind. Yes, there is the overload possibility, but another is that one's senses and memory are dulled by the constant repetition, while a further is that, of the fiestas, Carnival isn't really that big a deal. It doesn't stand out. Or at least, I have never considered it to.
The Mallorcan Carnival does tend to get lost. The bombardment of fiestas in December and January, of which the events of, say, Three Kings and Sant Antoni stay very firmly in the mind, is such that Carnival, whenever it comes along (and this, the movability of the feast, may be a further explanation as to why it can be rather forgettable) appears to be something of an afterthought. It is fiesta almost for fiesta's sake.
There is an additional possibility. Easter looms as an obvious date in the calendar. Even if it wanders around all over the calendar, you know it's on its way. It is the target fiesta for the late winter or early spring, one to aim for after all the partying that goes on around Christmas and up to the middle of January. Once that partying ends, and up to Easter, it's time to get heads down and do a spot of work for a change. Or this, in a somewhat Anglo-Saxon, shouldn't-we-actually-do-some-work way, is how I tend to look upon what should be a festive hiatus.
Such a perspective doesn't of course chime with that of the locals. Any excuse, and to be honest, Carnival is. If Spain is the destination for a Carnival holiday break, which towns or cities would be top of a visitor's list? Well, there wouldn't be any in Mallorca, that's for sure. Yet again, in the winter destination stakes, Mallorca is beaten into a cocked hat by Tenerife, where they do Carnival big time and with big hats. If you are going to have bright, vibrant, spectacular street parades, it does help if the weather is reasonably warm and that there isn't the possibility of snow. But Carnival there still is, even if it is small festive beer by comparison with Santa Cruz.
One might be tempted to believe that the Mallorcan Carnival is all an expression of what was a reclaiming of a collective memory that old misery guts Franco looked to eradicate from local society's data storage and so is a perpetuation of this rediscovery. Possibly so, but such a justification would now rather over-egg the festive pudding.
This all said, it is an occasion for a spot of dressing-up, and amidst the current dreariness this is no bad thing. The mini-parades, the Ruetas, in which you can expect all manner of junior strangeness of attire (such as children being dressed as ants or having buckets on their heads), combine with the adult Ruas, which can be notable for their costume satire.
It's all fair enough, just that each year Carnival comes round and never quite registers. It is a fiesta that is easy to forget. And that was more or less what I had done.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
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