Taken Over By The Fear

Right, continuing from yesterday. Why was this study of anything more than passing interest, if indeed that? The answer lies with the holiday-let regulations and the get-tough attitude of the Balearic Government and part of the reason why they have got tough. This goes back over the years but especially to around about this time a year back when there was the announcement about trawling the internet and examining websites to find illicit holiday lets. Although there are perfectly good reasons for the government doing so in respect of matters such as safety, quality and payment of tax, there is the added dimension that it (the government) is being badgered by the hoteliers to, if not stamp out, then do what it can do to reduce the volume of so-called residential tourism. The hoteliers, and indeed the government, have made play of the future of Mallorcan tourism being based on quality hotel stock; holiday lets do not come into this, or at least they are ignored when it comes to the grand plan for Mallorca and the promotion thereof - whatever that grand plan is.

The hoteliers' argument has long been that private rental accommodation is not subject to the same scrutiny as the hotels are, and one can have some sympathy with them. Consequently, when a survey comes along, such as the one I referred to yesterday, which estimates that only 16% of tourists go to holiday lets, then the hoteliers are going to challenge that figure, and challenge it with one that they have produced before, namely that half of the number of tourists who arrive in Mallorca end up in some form of residential tourism accommodation as opposed to a hotel. There is, as you can see, a fairly wide discrepancy between the two figures, with the government adopting something of a compromise position at 30%.

Instinctively, one feels that the hotels are overstating the case. Yet, it does rather depend. Take somewhere like Can Picafort, with every available inch of land seemingly occupied by a hotel, and you would say that the hoteliers are talking rubbish. But then compare this with Pollensa, and that 50% figure is probably about right; in fact I am pretty sure I recall seeing some statistics which did make the hotel-private let split at this sort of level. The report on this survey from "The Diario" made no mention of the fact that Pollensa would appear to be the place most people would choose for non-hotel accommodation. That came from "The Bulletin" and from the same survey of passengers at the airport.

The survey does not of course serve the hoteliers' case well. If the percentage is indeed only 16%, then this would undermine to some extent the whole argument against the private-rental sector, so that is why the survey was interesting. Of course, one can never be sure with these things. The sample was 1300, which may be considered robust, but otherwise I don't know the methodology and cannot comment further as to whether it proves anything. The academic in charge of the survey makes the point that those who opt for the holiday-home-type vacation tend to stay longer and to spend more. This is not a new finding, but it reinforces the fact that Mallorca does have to find a way of balancing the different types of accommodation. Too often one feels that the private-let sector is being hounded, but without it the island would miss out significantly. Not everyone wants to stay in hotels, however good they might be. It is nonsense for assertions to be made that the future of the island's tourism is down just to the hotels, because it most certainly should not be.


Are the hotels just very afraid? Right now, you would think they and everyone should be, or would be. Not so. All this talk of "crisis", or "cr-eee-sis" to give it the Spanish pronunciation (sort of), is partly just that - talk. Things are not easy. Of course they're not. But I am heartened by the degree of optimism that I encounter. There was even some yesterday from an estate agent. And I won't say which one. Erik. In the old town of Alcúdia, there was plenty to make you feel upbeat; not least a look inside the latest interior hotel - Can Pere. How pretty is that? Remarkable what can be done with an old town house (and not a manor house as they have it, but let's not quibble). Take a look here - http://www.hotelcanpere.com/.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Beach Boys (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cTIYsvJOQk). Today's title - no, not everyone has been. As for this song? Does it get much better than this? Not really.

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