The Point!

Let us be ever so wary. Or let them be ever so wary. Another town hall is due to undergo a marketing makeover. This time, it's Muro. One thing is for sure, they won't be using a c-cedilla as their focal point. And focal points should be at the heart of their thinking.

Muro town hall, with what seems like a shrug of catch-up, has observed that other town halls, e.g. Alcúdia and Pollensa, have looked to promote themselves and so have said - in effect - well if they are, then perhaps we should as well. Nothing like a bit of proactivity. More's to the point; it's about time. Accordingly, they are establishing a consortium or a foundation or something or other.

I could save them an awful lot of time and effort. I, or anyone in Muro come to that, could predict what this will entail. There will be four main themes: the superb beach, the generally very good hotels, Albufera and the old town of Muro itself. There, done. Throw in a website with a few photos and a link to the current playademuro.net, which is basically a bookings device for the hotels, and job's a good 'un.

But hush my cynicism - for a moment. There is one very good reason for them doing all this, and that is to establish the fact that Playa de Muro is not Alcúdia. The Playa suffers by proximity; it also suffers from the ignorance or disregard of many, including tour operators, who call it Alcúdia. That visitors end up referring to the Playa as Alcúdia is not that surprising if they are told that it is Alcúdia.

The main objective of any Muro marketing should be to establish a separate identity, one that is distinct from Alcúdia. It's not an easy task. Apart from the fact that the Playa is - in effect - an extension of Puerto Alcúdia, the beach resort and the town itself, come to that, lack much in the way of obvious differentiation. The beach is the same beach; the resort, pleasant enough, defies a description of character; the old town is anonymous set against the Romana and night atmosphere of Alcúdia. Unlike Pollensa, separated by several kilometres from its beach resort but with a capability of enticing the Puerto Pollensanists, Muro old town has nothing of the attractions or the culture of a Pollensa. They will doubtless give prominence to the ethnology museum and the unquestionably impressive church but other than these ... er...? Does anyone from Playa de Muro go to Muro? Would anyone from Playa de Muro go to Muro? No and no. It's not as if people go for the market. Which market do they go to? Alcúdia's. Why? It's not even for reasons of proximity if you happen to be in the far-flung parts of the Playa like Alcúdia Pins. It is because of the Alcúdia association; oh, and the bus routes, or the lack of them when it comes to hooking up Muro town with its beach.

Muro town is not as dull as its neighbour Santa Margalida, but nor does it boast any strong reason for going there. Local Muro apologia grants the town antiquity, but this is hardly a case of uniqueness; all the old towns possess this and some form of historical relevance, none more so than Alcúdia. A curiosity of Muro is that its main square, with the church and town hall to opposite sides, is bereft of cafés. What should be a natural focal point for the town has been left stripped of magnetism. Indeed lack of focal point is a Muro characteristic; the Playa has none. Unlike Puerto Alcúdia's promenade or Puerto Pollensa's church square and also promenade, Playa de Muro is a road and a strip of beach - a continuum of non-surprise. No one had the foresight to create a central reference point to the modern invention of Playa de Muro; the reference points of Puertos Alcúdia and Pollensa grew from what already existed in their old fishing villages.

In terms of diversity, Muro does have one very strong card. Albufera. Though inevitably this is assigned by the unknowing to Alcúdia, the boundaries of Albufera lie within Muro (and Sa Pobla). It is something worth bragging about, but overall the municipality fails the test for the current vogue for alternative tourism. Whereas Alcúdia and Pollensa can both claim a golf course, Muro cannot, though the endless saga as to the possible development of one on the Son Bosc finca might yet see it being teed off. An intriguing by-issue of the Muro tourism consortium is that it brings together the town hall and the hotel association, the latter squarely in favour of the golf course, elements at the former dead against it; at each others' throats in the name of eco-credentials on the one hand and Wilson-wielding wonga on the other. Who knows? Maybe their new-found passion for promoting Muro might find them agreeing on something for once.

Golf is one thing, grub is another. The Playa region can brag nothing in the way of a gastronomy trail. There are good enough and long-established restaurants like Boy and Las Delicias, but none that can be classed as haute cuisine. The restaurants in Puerto Alcúdia's Mile may be essentially purveyors of big lumps of meat and a tribute act, but even there are to be found one or two a class above the average Playa establishment.

You come back to the need to create a meaningful identity for Muro. At least one measure has already been taken, that of placing a sign at the Pointed Thing Roundabout which makes it clear that one is actually coming into Playa de Muro. They should do more, like putting a McDonalds type arch over the road by the roundabout with "Welcome to Playa de Muro" in flashing lights. But this would just be window- or rather road-dressing.

This consortium or foundation or whatever they're calling it should be taking a more zero-base approach. They should be asking - what is the point of Muro and Playa de Muro and what is needed in order to promote the municipality effectively? And by needed I mean the product itself as opposed to how the promotion is done. They could start with the lack of focal points, with those unlovely and unwanted "locales" and with the tackiness that is in stark contrast to the opulence of the hotels. They might also ask how can the town of Muro be made more appealing. But they won't. They'll do a website, push out a few more brochures, maybe even pitch up at an international fair or two, probably create some pointless logo, and pat themselves on the backs for having told a few more souls about things we already know - the beach, Albufera and the hotels.

I say that it's about time that they did more in the way of promotion, that they seek to create an identity, and if this is indeed what they do then fine. But, you know, once they've done it all, you will still get people referring to Playa de Muro as Alcúdia and you still won't get people going to Muro town.


QUIZ
Chain - Asia was the group. Carl Palmer of ELP was the association. And so what connects Asia to "Video Killed The Radio Star"? Yesterday's title - Don McLean. Today's title - who did an album, film and play with this title?

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)