But You Can't Come In

So, the Balearic Government, business (for which you can read mainly the hoteliers) and the unions have reached an agreement to do something about illegal holiday lets and what is described as the "principal problem" with the island's tourism model, seasonality. Good for them. Shame that they are missing the point.

There is no denying that the moribund nature of the winter season is a big problem. However, what sustains not only the island's tourism model but also the island's whole economic model is summer tourism. If that's wrong, then you can forget the rest. And, if not completely wrong, that summer tourism is far from completely right. How can it be completely right when that summer tourism model is predicated to the extent that it is on the all-inclusive?

There have been reports that high season "numbers" are going to turn out to be better than thought. So long as the season turns out to have brought reasonably good numbers of tourists, then the various bodies will be able to sit back with relief and share a congratulatory cava, and feel that the summer season is in pretty good shape; therefore, not the principal problem, even if those numbers are made up with a whopping chunk of all-inclusive places. Ostrich time.

The government has made it quite clear that it sees Mallorca's tourism as being based on quality hotel stock. Nothing wrong with that. But the size of the holiday let business is far from insignificant; in Pollensa, for instance, it comprises at least a half of tourist spaces. Not everyone wants to stay in a hotel, whatever the time of the year. A good tourism model offers a mix of accommodation to suit tastes. Which sector would most wish to see a reduction in the holiday let business? The hotel sector. It has a legitimate gripe when it points to the standards and regulations it has to adhere to and to the level of investment it makes; things not necessarily adhered to by the holiday lets. It is also legitimate to tackle undeclared rental income. However, it is the same hotel sector that is responsible, together with tour operators, for the growth of the all-inclusive and therefore the problems that face the summer tourism model and the island's economic model. The holiday lets are far from irrelevant; they should be encouraged and not discouraged. They should be embraced as a part of getting the bread and butter of summer tourism right. It is quite depressing that the worthy bodies can define a "principal problem" that serves only to disguise the true one.


No tourists admitted
Well, it rumbles on. The Famous Five. An apology and explanation has appeared in "Talk Of The North". And on it will go. It would probably have been better had nothing been said. Whatever. There was something else in the latest issue, and this concerns the tourist office on the paseo in Puerto Alcúdia. Why is it not possible for tourists to go into the kiosk? It's a question that has been asked many times before and is a not unreasonable one.

There is a reason. And that is that when it was open to anyone to come in, it got overcrowded to the extent of people walking into the area behind what would be the browsing desk (and is when it rains, as the office is open then); that area behind the desk is the staff area. Closing the kiosk's rear door comes down to a control issue. That is the reason. It may sound a bit thin, but there you go. By having tourists dealt only through the hatch, lengthy queues can and do form. Tourists are unable to browse, which many like to do. Not being able to does not necessarily help the businesses who want their publicity material picked up. There may be a solution. Go take a look at Puerto Pollensa's tourist office. The kiosk is smaller, but there are display units outside. Want to browse? Well, you can. A point about the Puerto Pollensa kiosk is, though, that the display units can be easily moved inside. This would be less easy to do in Puerto Alcúdia given the step to the rear door. There are also usually at least two staff in Puerto Pollensa, whereas Puerto Alcúdia has one. Maybe they should re-design the paseo kiosk.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Tears For Fears, "Woman In Chains": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hDoPCiC3RQ. Today's title - not by him originally, but most obviously this comes from?

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