I'd Like To Thank ...

You know when the year is drawing to a close. It's the time when gongs are handed out and award-winners are obliged to make embarrassing speeches. Soon, in just over a week's time, we will probably be required to recognise that it was Mallorca what won it for Wiggo, or some such rot. If the Bradmeister wins Sports Personality, we'll never hear the end of it.

Rather lower down the list of awards ceremonies in terms of awareness among the local British community has been that of the Fomento del Turismo (otherwise known, if somewhat misleadingly nowadays and in English at any rate, as the Mallorca Tourist Board). It handed out its annual gongs on Monday evening. The Fomento was lucky enough to have been graced with the presence of the Balearics dear leader at its yearly thrash. President Bauzá went, he spoke and he told the audience that the annual promotional plan for tourism (there is one) will be unveiled on 17 December, the day after Wiggo's anticipated coronation by BBC licence-payers. Maybe we can also anticipate Wiggo being part of the annual plan.

Whatever the regional government has planned for its plan, we already know one thing. It will be doing more with less. Bauzá said so on Monday evening, thus reinforcing the message that has been forthcoming from tourism minister Delgado in those rare moments when he has been on-message and not on a hunting trip. Doing more with less does of course mean that there isn't any money. But I'm not about to criticise. I have said before that less money should exercise minds to be more creative.

The Fomento's president, Eduardo Gamero, spoke about tourism competitiveness being improved thanks to provisions within the new tourism law and also about what the Fomento does, highlighting in particular the work of the International Press Centre, which fully deserves having its work highlighted. The Fomento - and an organisation that is over a hundred years old really should be looked after rather better when in its dotage - is unfortunately strapped for cash and now reliant on its members for financial support. Whether the government has in fact paid the Fomento everything it owes it I couldn't say, but Sr. Gamero might well have reminded the dear leader were there any outstanding invoices buried under a pile of other demands on the desk of the governmental purchase ledger clerk.

Still, it does always help to keep in with those in high governmental places, and the Fomento went one step higher than regional government in doling out the 2012 awards. Recipient of the gold plaque was Turespaña, the national tourism promotion agency, and there to receive the award was none other than the national tourism secretary of state and the president of Turespaña, Mallorca's very own property expert, Isabel Borrego. Perhaps the plaque was handed over with a note asking Sra. Borrego to have a word with Bauzá about the invoices.

Turespaña joins an illustrious list of award winners over the past few years and a list of non-award winners, the most illustrious of these being our good friends GOB, the environmental pressure group. It was up for a gong in 2007, until someone suggested that GOB had not demonstrated that it actually supported tourism. But that was in 2007. We now know of course that GOB does support tourism. Eco tourism. Which means groups of no more than twenty ramblers at a time schlepping across the Tramuntana, conversing in Catalan and taking refuge in dry stone shelters which are self-sufficient in organic vegetables. The good news for the ramblers is that when they get lost or stuck, there is always the Guardia Civil Mountain Rescue Unit to come to their aid; it won a Fomento award in 2011.

Other previous winners have included motorcycle world champion Jorge Lorenzo (gold medal in 2010), an award which might suggest that Wiggo has a chance to add a Fomento medal to his trophy cabinet, the Yannick and Ben Jakober Foundation in Alcúdia (silver plaque in 2008) and the Vi Primitiu, the wine association based in Pollensa, which got a diploma in 2008.

And given that there has also been the odd hack who has received an award, without sounding slightly presumptuous, I would like to nominate myself for one next year. I'm not bothered about a plaque or a medal or even a diploma. I'll settle for the cash, so long as I know the invoice will get paid. With this in mind, I'd like to thank ... .


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.