New York, London, Paris, Munich ... Palma?

It is reassuring to learn that not everyone gets sucked into the groupthink of believing something which, if it is said often enough, becomes the accepted truth. I'll believe it when I see it as well. Mr. Barkhuysen's letter to the "Bulletin" (17 April) finished with just this seeing-is-believing doubt, one regarding the impact of shopping on tourism. Will more Sunday opening in Palma result in "tourists flocking to Mallorca because shops open on a Sunday"? Mr. Barkhuysen thinks not, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

However, because it has been said often enough that the shops should be open and that this will result in increased tourism, it must of course be true.

There is just one problem with this truth. In fact, there are several. The first is, surprise, surprise, it's a Palma issue pure and simple. And Palma may in fact be the problem. Let's imagine for a moment that we, i.e. you, are in the UK and you think that you wouldn't mind engaging in some shopping tourism. Which cities spring to mind? New York, London, Paris, Munich, everyone's talking not about pop music but about the pap muzak in grand shopping emporia in the grand cities. And you can add others to this list - Dubai, for instance, or Barcelona, if you fancy some Spanish. Is everyone talking about Palma? Erm ...

Ah but, there is this huge demand for shopping that tumbles out of cruise ships. How do we know? Because it's said often enough, it must be true. Unfortunately, it isn't. Not if the vast majority of the passengers jump from ship to coach and head off to the Tramuntana, it isn't. And of those who don't, there is no longer the well-heeled, platinum-carded shop-till-they-drop crowd inhabiting the cruise cabins. Cruises have gone economy class, as have their passenger lists. One bright bit of news is that the well-heeled, platinum-carded crowd are availing themselves of cheap cruise deals, the consequence of unsold cabins ever since the Concordia went all Titanic.

The shops being open will be more about an impression rather than simple business. It is fair to say that a city that is closed down doesn't give off the best image. But having them open will make them museum pieces. They can be boasted about but, like museums, no one will bother with them overly unless it happens to be raining or is so stinking hot that some air-con relief is needed. Or at least they won't bother overly with the large stores, precisely the ones that can now open.

Research presented by the now sadly defunct Tourism Insights website made the point that shopping by tourists is a means to experience local culture and to purchase something of this local culture, such as items of craftwork. This makes eminent sense. Why, after all, if you are a tourist, would you go and buy a plasma TV from El Corte Ingles and haul it back to the cruise ship?

Sunday opening is not of course just about tourists. In his letter, Mr. Barkhuysen makes the not unreasonable point that this will not result in increased trade. It will be more a case of spreading more thinly the trade that already exists and of it costing more to operate. It could be that trade does increase, though. But here I am only guessing that a sort of Parkinson's Law obtains when trading hours are increased. Shopping expands to fill the available time. Whether shopping means spending more is a different matter. There is shopping with a purpose and shopping for no other reason than for something to look at; shopping for windows, in other words.

Longer opening hours and opening hours which haven't previously been opening hours are all about convenience for consumers. There is nothing at all wrong with this. Indeed, it is all but essential in a contemporary society. But convenience does not mean greater volumes of business, a point the consultants Deloittes have been making.

Regarding the extension of Sunday trading during the Olympic Games and the possibility that this will remain in force after the Olympics, Deloittes say, and I quote: "Such a move would allow retailers to offer their customers greater convenience, but it is also likely that it would increase costs as the period of time when consumers do their shopping would be stretched, rather than increase the spending pot itself".

This is the nub of the issue where the resident market is concerned. Add to this a questionable benefit from tourism, and seeing will indeed be believing. I hope that I and Mr. Barkhuysen are wrong. 


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.