The Ten Tourism Ministers Of Mallorca

The coronation of the new Balearics tourism minister failed to acknowledge a landmark in the islands' tourism ministerial history. Jaime Martinez is the tenth tourism minister since tourism ministers started to be appointed in 1983.

To give the full list of ministers, they have been Jaume Cladera, Joan Flaquer (twice), José María González Ortea, Celesti Alomar, Francesc Buils, Miquel Nadal, Miquel Ferrer, Joana Barceló and of course Carlos Delgado. Of thirty years of the ministry, seventeen of these years saw only two ministers - Cladera for ten and Flaquer for seven. With Martinez now getting his feet under the ministerial desk, his appointment means that eight ministers have averaged just a fraction longer than a year and a half in office.

One does have to bear in mind of course that during the last administration there were no fewer than four ministers. Buils and Nadal both had to go and both have since been convicted. Ferrer lasted only a few weeks before his party, the old Unió Mallorquina, was booted out of the coalition. Barceló got the job solely because the president, Francesc Antich, was desperate to find someone, anyone, from his own PSOE party to take over. Four ministers over the course of a four-year administration between 2007 and 2011 help to explain the low average tenure of Balearics tourism ministers.

Delgado's resignation is indicative of instability in two respects. One is the cabinet of President Bauzá because of its resignations and reshuffle dismissals. The other is the job of tourism minister. A new minister can be expected after elections, but the ministry has now had six ministers in six years. Continuity, it might be said, has been in somewhat short supply. So also has been contentment among those in the tourism industry. The Balearics, for a region that pioneered mass tourism, has a pretty lamentable recent record when it comes to governing this tourism.

But what of these various ministers? The one who stands out is the first minister, Jaume Cladera. He had the job for the longest period and of all of them he has been the only one of whom it can be said that he was genuinely qualified. His background was tourism before he became vice-president of the Mallorca Tourist Board in 1979 and was a logical choice to be minister in the first regional government in 1983. Of others, Alomar had been the director of the old IBATUR promotion agency prior to becoming minister in 1999, but none could boast Cladera's industry background.

Starting pretty much from scratch, Cladera was bound to make some impact. And, by introducing the plan for tourism and for introducing all manner of legislation to do with tourism, he did make an impact. He commanded a deal of respect as well as being a symbol of stability for the industry.

It isn't a pre-requisite of ministerial office that a minister has to have a background specific to his portfolio, but it certainly helps if he or she does.  President Bauzá appeared to acknowledge as much when he appointed Gabriel Company, at the time an independent and not a member of the Partido Popular, to head the agriculture-environment-land mega-ministry. Company was a businessman with years of experience in agriculture, but in terms of economic importance agriculture is a long way behind tourism. Why, therefore, is there not a minister with specific industry knowledge? Someone like, say, a Jaume Cladera?

The new man Martinez has been knocking around the tourism ministry as well as Calvia town hall over the years. He knows about tourism, but this isn't the same as understanding tourism or, perhaps more importantly, understanding tourists. Part of the Calvia clique which Delgado, rather like a new football manager, took with him to the ministry, it can be said that Martinez has experience of administration in one of Spain's most important tourist towns. But does he have experience of tourists? What does he really know of the differing types of tourist, the differing nature of tourism in Calvia and therefore in Mallorca and the Balearics? Administration yes, but not necessarily experience of the right variety. An architect by profession, what have been his priorities? As with the Mallorcan property lawyer Isabel Borrego who is the national secretary of state for tourism, there is the fear that he views tourism as an exercise in real estate and bricks and mortar (and a certain type of bricks and mortar) rather than in hearts and minds.

Do we, though, expect too much from tourism ministers? There are certain issues which they can do precious little to influence - all-inclusives being one, save perhaps from legally established standards of service. There are others which they can influence; holiday rentals is one, were they of a mind to. But the expectation lies more with a sense of vision, and this is most unlikely to ever come from someone whose knowledge of tourism is administrative as opposed to strategic and hands-on. Martinez is really no different to most tourism ministers that the Balearics have had in this regard. The tenth minister, and the ninth not to have come from the industry.