So Happy Together - Again

There was a nice photo in "The Diario" yesterday. It showed a happy Alcúdia mayor, Miquel Ferrer, shaking hands with an equally happy Miquel Nadal, the Balearics' Minister for Tourism. Friends - for now. They are both members of the Unió Mallorquina after all, and they were rivals for the leadership of their party. Perhaps they still might be. But Nadal won that leadership race, and Ferrer became a number two, if, that is, you can have "a" number two, as opposed to "the" number two. Who is number six? Whatever. Still, they are in the same party, and so one hopes that they are in accord when it comes to the all-important issue of tourism. The photo suggests they are.

A while ago, there was an agreement between the two regarding the promotion of the Nordic walking routes in Alcúdia. Now, they have come together to agree and approve a rehabilitation plan for the beach in Puerto Alcúdia, a plan costing 720 thousand euros, four-fifths of which will be stumped up by Inestur, or the government in other words or acronyms, not that the government is an acronym, but you get my drift, or maybe you don't.

This might sound like a lot, but it is important to know that this area - and we are talking mainly that part of the beach from the marina as far as the top of The Mile and to the canal - is thirty years old or more in terms of development. An upgrade is probably due, and so the latest round of regeneration, coming on the back of the WiFi network that was introduced last year (to an admittedly underwhelming response), will focus on new street lighting, benches, showers and children's play areas.

In the same report, the mayor is said to be concerned about this coming tourism season, but believes that there has been a recent awakening in demand. But he does also say that demand is being stimulated through all-inclusive offers. And this may be just the problem. You win one way, but lose in another. All-inclusive is a no-brainer for many a family, and right now it is almost essential. Not many much care for it, least of all bars, restaurants and shops (i.e. pretty much everyone except the hotels), but we are just going to have to accept the situation. Still, call it the "Barack bounce" or maybe the "mayor of Alcúdia bounce" but, as I write, the pound is up to 1.1 euros. The recovery starts here. It's official.


Meantime, it is pre-tourism season time, and the weekend's boat and cuttlefish fairs are, as in the previous three years, a boon to Puerto Alcúdia. Well they would be, assuming the appalling weather cuts out the deluges and the cold. I can reveal - and for the occasional enquirer to this blog who has asked if I "appear" anywhere else, this may be of particular interest - that I am doing stuff with "The Bulletin". The spotlight due to appear today is me, assuming it hasn't been lost somewhere in the system. Not quite the blog style, but there again it's not the blog. As I put this entry together, I don't know if I will be down as "staff reporter", as I have been already this week, but be assured 'tis moi. Not sure how that all works really, given that I am not "staff", but far be it for me to quibble. Never been known to do that here on the blog, so I'm not about to start now. Anyway, buy "The Bulletin", everyone. Support your local blogger and the esteemed organ that is "Majorca Daily Bulletin"!


I felt you might wish to know or be reminded of what a certain journalist had to say about those he encountered on a trip overseas. I don't know the context, i.e. the place or indeed the people, but who do you imagine it was that described them as - "big, fat, idiotic, useless, slack-jawed, knuckle-dragging, tattooed, pastry-faced, pock-marked, dim-witted, work-shy, gum-chewing riff-raff"? And if you're good, I'll tell you the episode of "Have I Got News For You" that this comes from.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Katie Melua. Today's title - this has been a title before, in the days before I youtubed all this stuff, so if you don't know, you will need to go back a year and find out when this was last a title.

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