We are told, repeatedly, that things have never been better for peak-summer tourism. In they come, the holidaymakers, great droves of them, boosting occupancy levels in some resorts to 100% (a figure which may be given but which is only truly attained in specific instances and never resort-wide). More passengers than ever before have passed through Son Sant Joan. The "irregular" offer of holiday accommodation is booming in much the same way as the legitimate offer is. But this joyous news is, as always, tempered by realities created by all-inclusives and of genuine spend. It may well be up, but the spread is not uniform.
It is also tempered by concerns that there are simply too many people. The strains on services, on infrastructure, on the environment are such that the regional government appears willing to consider what has not previously been unthinkable but which has not been acted upon or at least seen through: a deliberate and concerted strategy aimed at reduction, offset, the government would hope, by a smoothing of tourist numbers to create a longer season.
While the politicians agonise over this human and environmental pressure, dabble with financial engineering (tourist tax, off-season social security discounts) and constantly utter the mantra of a tourist base of greater quality, the hoteliers have been hard at it, raising their game along with their star classifications and so prices. Profit is up, turnover is up. Tour operators are gladdened by the upward trend in the quality of hotel stock. Mallorca may be more expensive - hotel-wise - than most of the Mediterranean, but to the advantages of reliability, safety and durability can be added this recent qualitative leap.
But if this is all the case, why are the people who really matter - the holidaymakers - not more satisfied? Are the strains causing them to be less satisfied? Are they more discerning, more demanding than ever before? Is dissatisfaction simply the result of their not having been asked before?
Gadeso, the Mallorcan research organisation, does ask tourists. It has been asking for a few years now. It isn't alone. Cala Millor is an example of a resort having finally cottoned on to the need to conduct surveys with the objective - it might be hoped - of the opinion-asking being more than just PR. But the surveying is limited; Gadeso's sample base is small - only 400 interviews.
Given the size of the sample, should the latest tourist satisfaction survey be considered credible? Can it ever be truly representative of what is, after all, a highly diverse market? Tourists form anything but a homogeneous market. It is one that differs in every way imaginable: demographics, attitudes, country of origin, expectations, to cite just a few.
The findings, therefore, come with this caveat. Nevertheless, there are worrying trends. Take the upping of the quality ante and of prices. The price-quality ratio for accommodation is deemed "adequate" (six out of ten), but it is slipping by a point year upon year. It's impossible to know if this is as a consequence of higher prices or of, for example, a more demanding attitude, one that may be influenced by experiences in other destinations. Whatever the cause, despite the efforts to raise quality, the satisfaction level stubbornly continues to drop.
It is when one leaves the hotel, however, that things go decidedly pear-shaped. The price-quality ratio satisfaction for the "specialised" offer - restaurants, beach services, shops, sports facilities, leisure activities - has gone from "deficient" to "very deficient" (2.9 out of ten). Gadeso supports this finding by referring to excessively high prices for food and shopping that are "repetitive and outmoded". It is an embarrassing finding, given that gastronomy is supposedly one of the great saviours of Mallorca's tourism.
Then there is what may be evidence of those strains of human pressure. Down have gone assessments for water quality (the sea's), for air pollution, for the general environment. Down also are opinions on what previous surveys had already identified as the two most deficient factors - cleanliness and noise (acoustic contamination).
Palma's new mayor, José Hila, has identified filth as a major problem for the city, and his administration is making efforts in rectifying this. But is Palma unique? Cast an eye around and observe, for example, plastics recycling containers that are overflowing and so not emptied often enough. Has it not occurred to anyone that there is high plastics waste on account of all those bottles of water and drinks being purchased? This is only one example, and standards of waste collection will doubtless vary from resort to resort, as will complaints about noise.
Gadeso cannot be taken as being definitive, but it is an indication. As such, therefore, it should serve not as the definitive word but as the starting-point. There should be far greater systematic surveying of visitors: resort by resort.
Showing posts with label Cleanliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleanliness. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Tell Me More
One of those catching-up days, with feedback on a number of things - cleanliness, tourism strategy and the Pollensa Ç carry-on. Oh, and weather, the least said about, quite honestly, the better. Except they say it will be better from tomorrow, and it may well be, but they've been saying that for at least a fortnight.
Firstly, to cleanliness, and Geoff confirms that a clean bill of health for a toilet is a sure guarantor of repeat patronage. His wife has a scoring system for loo cleanliness, with those receiving "nul point" or not many being relegated from the Bar-Restaurant Premier (though they were probably only Conference level to begin with). Like "Strictly Come Dancing" or ice-skating, there should be panels of tourists trekking to and from toilets with their score cards and holding them aloft post-pan pointing. Here therefore is another thing for bars etc to consider when next putting together their publicity: "We have clean toilets"; "The cleanest loos in ..." Another sure winner like the "we have number ones" of the haircut piece of a while back. Beats "specialists in meat" any day.
Secondly, the whole business about tourism diversification. And here's what John has to say:
"I see from a number of your blog entries that the tourist authorities are getting worried about maintaining visitor numbers to Mallorca. Having visited the island many times and lived there for a period, it is abundantly clear where the problem areas are.
"Just as with the acting fraternity, tourist destinations get type-cast and as you rightly point out, 30 years of mass tourism have left Mallorca with the image of sun, sand and surf. Then, of course, the towns like Arenal and Magaluf and the greasy mile in Alcúdia have added big-belly-boozer to the image. Printing posters that say 'golf and fine dining' aren't going to make much of a dent. Mallorca is not exactly on the gastronomic route in Europe. I believe you made a good point to me once, when you said that they should concentrate on making Mallorca a winter destination as well. This would require putting in suitable weather-proof entertainment. Maybe a small Disney Land somewhere.
"The authorities need to work out their demographics and see which groups make up the main tourist numbers and if they are British and German, which I am certain they will be, then for heaven's sake make the place language friendly. I came across with my tennis racquet but despite all efforts never came close to getting a game. The tennis complex on Crta. Arta (Puerto Alcúdia) is a ghost town. The office is always closed and when I asked some youngsters who were playing there for some information, they said they just slipped in and played a game and then left. No one was ever able to give me any information.
"I can just imagine what these so-called think tanks are like. A bunch of insular pro-Catalan/Mallorquín civil servants trying to coin catchy slogans. I can see all the signage changing to Catalan to add to the confusion that already exists, with different town names depending on which map you have. Mallorca will not easily lose its present image, and indeed does it want to, as this brings in a fair amount of revenue. It needs a dual image, and I believe that if it develops the infrastructure and the marketing promotion needed for a winter destination, this will gradually drag over into the summer season. They should hurry as countries like Croatia and Montenegro are starting to stir."
Well, some of this does rather reinforce some of what I'm been saying. I should point out that the current think tank, that one convened by the British Consul, is, save for the presence perhaps of IBATUR, the tourism promotion unit, not comprised of local civil servants, even if the stamp of local thinking is inked into other aspects of tourism promotion, like the Pollensa Ç. Which brings me to the third piece of feedback.
Seamus wonders if any "bright spark" might have thought about the letter P rather than the Ç, which would have been a suitably fine piece of mis-promotion in the sense that the P is universally known as a symbol for Parking, which, as anyone knows, there is an absence of in Pollensa. "P - Come to Pollensa and Park." He also wonders about the cock as in like the one on the roundabout, but now it's mentioned, I thought the cock was the Pollensa symbol. Did it not used to be? Maybe it still is. Perhaps though there was a rare display of cross-cultural and linguistic understanding in that "cock" may not be the most appropriate word for the British. Apart from the obvious, there is also the expression "a load of cock". Another c-letter, not far removed from ç.
At a rather more official level, the singularly un-Catalan-sounding Cathy Sweeney, speaking for a body behind the Catalan language, says that the adoption of the Ç to promote the Balearic language should not interfere with Pollensa's tourism promotion and also that the letter cannot be registered as a "brand name". Precisely.
QUIZ
Chain - Another film by The Who was "Quadrophenia" in which Sting played the Ace Face. Not so much a chain question, but what is the in-joke about Sting in Quadrophenia in the "Men Behaving Badly" special where Gary takes them to Worthing? Yesterday's title - Camera Obscura. (See this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLh9rkvjac). Today's title - where's this from?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Firstly, to cleanliness, and Geoff confirms that a clean bill of health for a toilet is a sure guarantor of repeat patronage. His wife has a scoring system for loo cleanliness, with those receiving "nul point" or not many being relegated from the Bar-Restaurant Premier (though they were probably only Conference level to begin with). Like "Strictly Come Dancing" or ice-skating, there should be panels of tourists trekking to and from toilets with their score cards and holding them aloft post-pan pointing. Here therefore is another thing for bars etc to consider when next putting together their publicity: "We have clean toilets"; "The cleanest loos in ..." Another sure winner like the "we have number ones" of the haircut piece of a while back. Beats "specialists in meat" any day.
Secondly, the whole business about tourism diversification. And here's what John has to say:
"I see from a number of your blog entries that the tourist authorities are getting worried about maintaining visitor numbers to Mallorca. Having visited the island many times and lived there for a period, it is abundantly clear where the problem areas are.
"Just as with the acting fraternity, tourist destinations get type-cast and as you rightly point out, 30 years of mass tourism have left Mallorca with the image of sun, sand and surf. Then, of course, the towns like Arenal and Magaluf and the greasy mile in Alcúdia have added big-belly-boozer to the image. Printing posters that say 'golf and fine dining' aren't going to make much of a dent. Mallorca is not exactly on the gastronomic route in Europe. I believe you made a good point to me once, when you said that they should concentrate on making Mallorca a winter destination as well. This would require putting in suitable weather-proof entertainment. Maybe a small Disney Land somewhere.
"The authorities need to work out their demographics and see which groups make up the main tourist numbers and if they are British and German, which I am certain they will be, then for heaven's sake make the place language friendly. I came across with my tennis racquet but despite all efforts never came close to getting a game. The tennis complex on Crta. Arta (Puerto Alcúdia) is a ghost town. The office is always closed and when I asked some youngsters who were playing there for some information, they said they just slipped in and played a game and then left. No one was ever able to give me any information.
"I can just imagine what these so-called think tanks are like. A bunch of insular pro-Catalan/Mallorquín civil servants trying to coin catchy slogans. I can see all the signage changing to Catalan to add to the confusion that already exists, with different town names depending on which map you have. Mallorca will not easily lose its present image, and indeed does it want to, as this brings in a fair amount of revenue. It needs a dual image, and I believe that if it develops the infrastructure and the marketing promotion needed for a winter destination, this will gradually drag over into the summer season. They should hurry as countries like Croatia and Montenegro are starting to stir."
Well, some of this does rather reinforce some of what I'm been saying. I should point out that the current think tank, that one convened by the British Consul, is, save for the presence perhaps of IBATUR, the tourism promotion unit, not comprised of local civil servants, even if the stamp of local thinking is inked into other aspects of tourism promotion, like the Pollensa Ç. Which brings me to the third piece of feedback.
Seamus wonders if any "bright spark" might have thought about the letter P rather than the Ç, which would have been a suitably fine piece of mis-promotion in the sense that the P is universally known as a symbol for Parking, which, as anyone knows, there is an absence of in Pollensa. "P - Come to Pollensa and Park." He also wonders about the cock as in like the one on the roundabout, but now it's mentioned, I thought the cock was the Pollensa symbol. Did it not used to be? Maybe it still is. Perhaps though there was a rare display of cross-cultural and linguistic understanding in that "cock" may not be the most appropriate word for the British. Apart from the obvious, there is also the expression "a load of cock". Another c-letter, not far removed from ç.
At a rather more official level, the singularly un-Catalan-sounding Cathy Sweeney, speaking for a body behind the Catalan language, says that the adoption of the Ç to promote the Balearic language should not interfere with Pollensa's tourism promotion and also that the letter cannot be registered as a "brand name". Precisely.
QUIZ
Chain - Another film by The Who was "Quadrophenia" in which Sting played the Ace Face. Not so much a chain question, but what is the in-joke about Sting in Quadrophenia in the "Men Behaving Badly" special where Gary takes them to Worthing? Yesterday's title - Camera Obscura. (See this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLh9rkvjac). Today's title - where's this from?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Monday, June 02, 2008
Keep It Clean
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Who coined this expression? John Wesley is probably the best bet even if the original is Hebrew. Doesn't really matter. The religious dimension doesn't feature in the running of a bar; well, not normally. But cleanliness does and should.
I recall that some years ago Honda made a point of cleanliness being at the centre of its overall quality management. The company still does make a point of it. Founder Soichiro Honda is quoted as saying that "superior products don't result from an attitude that allows disarray, untidiness and uncleanliness in the work environment". From this obsession with cleanliness comes an "attitude and environment that is productive and efficient, organised and reliable".
(Quotes from an article by Paul V. Arnold, "Case Study: The Honda Way", www.reliableplant.com)
Japanese manufacturing practices may seem a million miles away from the average local bar, but they do offer lessons nevertheless. In addition to an efficient production environment, Honda seeks to create a place of work that people enjoy and therefore makes them more content and more productive. Cleanliness is one aspect of this. The company also wants to let its customers know and see that it operates such a clean working environment. Staff and customers.
This all started to come to mind when I was speaking today with Kevin and Jane at JK's in Puerto Pollensa. This bar does well. I asked what they attribute the bar's success to. There are a number of factors, but one that came shining through, literally I guess, was cleanliness. To be honest, I had never really given this aspect of a bar much attention. I suppose I would if a place was unclean, but as a sort of selling point for a bar I wouldn't have placed it high on the list. But I'm not necessarily like others. I have heard this cleanliness angle elsewhere in respect of bars; cleanliness and uncleanliness. I have heard of people opting not to return to a bar because of a lack of cleanliness. People do rate it as being important.
I was given an example. Couple come in, order a couple of Pepsi's, sit down for a minute or so and then one goes to the loo, comes back, says something approving about the cleanliness and then they order something to eat. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and next to the goodliness of the bar.
All this emphasis on "clean" shouldn't come as a surprise. Look around reviews and you will often find cleanliness or filth being commented on. I know of a restaurant in Puerto Pollensa where a new owner took over this year and spent a tidy sum on rectifying the unedifying state of the loos.
Coming back to JKs, one of the other points they made was that they have a reputation for reliability in a variety of ways. What was it in one of those quotes about Honda? The last word in the second quote - "reliable". And perhaps that should be the last word about bars and their success.
QUIZ
Chain - The Elton-The Who connection was "Pinball Wizard". Elton was in the film of "Tommy" and how do you get from "Tommy" to Sting? Yesterday's title - The Boxtops. (See this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z8RCfnWPOo). Today's title - lovely song by an underrated Glasgow indie band.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
I recall that some years ago Honda made a point of cleanliness being at the centre of its overall quality management. The company still does make a point of it. Founder Soichiro Honda is quoted as saying that "superior products don't result from an attitude that allows disarray, untidiness and uncleanliness in the work environment". From this obsession with cleanliness comes an "attitude and environment that is productive and efficient, organised and reliable".
(Quotes from an article by Paul V. Arnold, "Case Study: The Honda Way", www.reliableplant.com)
Japanese manufacturing practices may seem a million miles away from the average local bar, but they do offer lessons nevertheless. In addition to an efficient production environment, Honda seeks to create a place of work that people enjoy and therefore makes them more content and more productive. Cleanliness is one aspect of this. The company also wants to let its customers know and see that it operates such a clean working environment. Staff and customers.
This all started to come to mind when I was speaking today with Kevin and Jane at JK's in Puerto Pollensa. This bar does well. I asked what they attribute the bar's success to. There are a number of factors, but one that came shining through, literally I guess, was cleanliness. To be honest, I had never really given this aspect of a bar much attention. I suppose I would if a place was unclean, but as a sort of selling point for a bar I wouldn't have placed it high on the list. But I'm not necessarily like others. I have heard this cleanliness angle elsewhere in respect of bars; cleanliness and uncleanliness. I have heard of people opting not to return to a bar because of a lack of cleanliness. People do rate it as being important.
I was given an example. Couple come in, order a couple of Pepsi's, sit down for a minute or so and then one goes to the loo, comes back, says something approving about the cleanliness and then they order something to eat. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and next to the goodliness of the bar.
All this emphasis on "clean" shouldn't come as a surprise. Look around reviews and you will often find cleanliness or filth being commented on. I know of a restaurant in Puerto Pollensa where a new owner took over this year and spent a tidy sum on rectifying the unedifying state of the loos.
Coming back to JKs, one of the other points they made was that they have a reputation for reliability in a variety of ways. What was it in one of those quotes about Honda? The last word in the second quote - "reliable". And perhaps that should be the last word about bars and their success.
QUIZ
Chain - The Elton-The Who connection was "Pinball Wizard". Elton was in the film of "Tommy" and how do you get from "Tommy" to Sting? Yesterday's title - The Boxtops. (See this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z8RCfnWPOo). Today's title - lovely song by an underrated Glasgow indie band.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
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