Small Mallorca In A Shrinking World

Tourism statistics never lie. Or maybe it's the case that they prove or disprove what you want them to. Whatever the veracity of the statistics, whatever the rigour of the methodology used to gather them, there seems little escaping one truth: there are more tourists than ever before.

In the bubble we call Mallorca, we have our own perceptions of this truth or non-truth. Consequently, we reduce debate surrounding tourism to our own observations, experiences, prejudices. Within the wider world of tourism, there are similar debates, and they stem from the macro elements of tourism - competition, markets, consumer behaviour, technology - rather than just the micro ones on which we prefer to focus most of our attention, such as local taxes or regulations for this or that.

This wider world is one of the monster of a global industry, growth of which is staggering. Cliché tells us that the world is now very much smaller, thanks to the ease of travel, the openness of markets, the availability of information. And it is the shrinking nature of the world which powers this tremendous growth, only one small part of which is Mallorca. Small but still important.

The island has, as yet, been unaffected by growth that is having an impact on the Spanish mainland, an aspect of which has been the increase in tourism from Asia. The American tourist, attracted by a favourable exchange rate, has also been adding to Spanish growth. Here is evidence of the macro nature of tourism at play, the influence of markets and of currency.

At some point, this global expansion may also rub off on Mallorca, though it would require shifts in airline scheduling to truly allow it to. But while there are the alternative markets there to be exploited, they come with a warning. Russia: the provider of a new golden age, but one that has been delayed.

While there is and always will be volatility that tourism has to confront, it is generally resilient. It can take the knocks of the genuine, awful and unexpected shocks - 9/11 for example - in its stride. Of the factors that contributed to the slump in Mallorca's tourism in 2002, 9/11 wasn't one of them (and the eco-tax wasn't the only one; there was that macro effect at play as well - German recession).

The growth in Mallorcan and Spanish tourism to record levels this summer can, with some justification, be attributed to events elsewhere. But instability in competitor destinations has almost become the norm. Mallorca and Spain, therefore, are the safe havens, as they have long been. If there is one word that sums up Spanish tourism, then it is reliability.

Nothing, however, can be taken for granted. An expansion of the global tourism market hints at new riches, and they may well come. But at what cost? The debates in the wider world of tourism, not just Mallorca's, is an ability to cope. In the Canaries there are similar discussions to those being had in Mallorca. Ever more numbers, while beneficial, have their downsides. Sheer volume places a strain on services, resources and infrastructure, and in Mallorca this is compounded to a degree that it is not in the Canaries. Coming back to the statistics, a quarter of all tourist spending in Spain in August was in the Balearics. It was also more than a quarter of the spending in the Balearics for the first eight months of the year and only marginally greater than it had been in July. Over half the spend crammed into two months. This doesn't equate to half the number of tourists, but it's not far off. The islands struggle, so tourism minister Barceló is right to pinpoint high-summer saturation as a genuine concern.

Easing the load, distributing the mass of tourists across the year is the holy grail that has been sought for years. The global expansion of tourism demand could hold some solutions in this regard, but equally it might not. Remove the sun-and-beach of summer, and Mallorca, in the shrinking world of tourism, becomes that much smaller. There are just too many other destinations with mountains, culture, cycling, golf for it to be anything other, especially if you can't get here.

Nevertheless, the tourism industry in Mallorca - parts of it - commendably seek to effect a more even distribution. The revamping of hotels has in mind the tackling of seasonality, it is investment in a best-case scenario. But how realistic is it? With the best will in the world, the big wide world of tourism demand is unlikely to descend on a Mallorcan off-season in any number, meaning that Mallorca is reliant on the markets it always has been. And these markets need nurturing, not discouraging. Care has to be taken. Tourism is resilient but it is also volatile. Why, I am wondering, did German tourism slump so markedly in August?


Index for September 2015

All-inclusives - 12 September 2015
Balearic financing - 3 September 2015
Balearic government tension - 24 September 2015
Cavallets, Llucmajor - 28 September 2015
Education in Mallorca - 11 September 2015, 18 September 2015
Fairs and agriculture - 20 September 2015
Holiday lets - 5 September 2015
José María Ruiz-Mateos. - 9 September 2015
Laura Camargo, Podemos - 14 September 2015
Llorenç Moyà and Vermar - 13 September 2015
Mallorca, conferences and excellence - 25 September 2015
Mallorca Day - 7 September 2015
Mallorcan identity - 29 September 2015
Mallorca in a global market - 30 September 2015
Mallorcan spirituality - 6 September 2015
Microsoft Innovation Center Tourism Technologies - 8 September 2015
Miquel Ensenyat and Extremadura - 2 September 2015
Motorcycling tourism - 19 September 2015
Online reputation management - 4 September 2015
Purchasing power in Balearics - 10 September 2015
Sa Feixina monument - 23 September 2015
Summer and politics - 1 September 2015
Tourist tax - 17 September 2015, 21 September 2015, 22 September 2015, 26 September 2015, 27 September 2015
Weirdness: giants, big heads in Mallorca - 16 September 2015
Working-class tourism in Mallorca - 15 September 2015