The "estaciones náuticas", of which there are now 23 throughout Spain, have increased their turnover from 980 million euros in 2005 to 2,300 million euros in 2012. This growth sounds impressive and would be even more so if we knew what the hell it represented.
The network of water-sports centres (and estaciones náuticas are water-sports centres, or resorts if you prefer) commercialises some 4,500 products in promoting nautical tourism in destinations with a long tradition of offering such tourism. The association for these water-sports centres has informed us that the turnover has more than doubled in seven years, but it is unclear how this turnover is accounted for. This is why I ask what it represents. The estación náutica concept, brand, call it what you will, is at best nebulous. It becomes even more so when it isn't obvious what the association is referring to. As the number of centres has increased along with the number of products over the past seven years, then a rise in turnover would be expected, but whether this rise owes anything to centres being part of the network must be open to some question.
Alcúdia is one resort that has joined the network during these seven years (it is the only one in Mallorca). It will have added some products to the overall number that are commercialised, but try telling anyone that Alcúdia is an estación náutica and they will look at you with bafflement. Ever since Alcúdia acquired the status of an estación náutica, it has been a concept that has been a mystery to virtually everyone.
Falling under the Turespaña tourism promotion agency, the association for the estaciones náuticas periodically gives out growth figures which suggest that the concept is a wonderful one. And though the estación náutica may indeed be wonderful, its marketing is anything but. This is why it is so unknown in Alcúdia. It will be why it will also be unknown by tourists.
The main means of promoting the estaciones náuticas is via the internet. So I put it to the test. I assumed that I was a British tourist who was interested in water sports in Alcúdia. I entered this into Google and, impressively enough, the estaciones náuticas website came up at number one in the ranking. I clicked on it and was taken to the entry for Water Sports Mallorca in Playa de Muro. Not quite Alcúdia, but near enough, albeit that Playa de Muro is a separate resort and is not, therefore, an estación náutica. Moreover, what I had been taken to was a company called Water Sports Mallorca.
I thought I would look around the website, so clicked "Destinations". It didn't work. I clicked "Accommodations" (sic) and then "Hotels". Marina Suites Hotel was the first one that came up. It is in Gran Canaria. I tried a couple of other hotel pages. Not one hotel for Alcúdia. I clicked "Nautical Activities" and then "Kitesurfing". All entries appeared to be for Delta de l'Ebre, wherever that is and it certainly isn't Alcúdia. At this point I gave up, and I would imagine any other surfer (so to speak) would as well.
To put it bluntly, the website, where Alcúdia is concerned at any rate, is all but useless. One could, sadly, say the same about the estación náutica concept as a whole. Little of it makes sense, including its name and its obvious translation into English. Googling water sports in Alcúdia might mean good news for Marc and his buddies in Playa de Muro, but it isn't much good for anyone else.
Nevertheless, Alcúdia has embraced the concept. "We love sport 365 days" is now an Alcúdia slogan, and the estación náutica has helped to make the town edge towards all-year sport-loving. Or has it? That there may be more sport, more days of the year and more tourists availing themselves of it could be due to factors other than the estación náutica concept; factors such as the marketing by others which is far more effective. For the association to imply that it has been behind the growth in turnover is hugely debatable.
One of the more obvious problems with the concept is that it suggests some sort of physical presence. I stress that it is only a concept but there is now some physical manifestation - at Alcúdia old town's Can Ramis municipal building where there are also references to sports for 365 days, such as canoeing on the great lake. A case of from Lake Esperanza to the inland station. But wouldn't it better if there were an estación where you would expect to find náutica? Like by the sea? Only a thought.
QUIZ: Making a brief return. From which line from which famous song is today's title adapted?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Showing posts with label Estaciones Náuticas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Estaciones Náuticas. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Thursday, February 19, 2009
To The Finland Station
The great and the good, the businesspeople of Alcúdia, the likes of Piero Rossi, Toni from No Frills, oh and me. There was a fair old gathering in the old "sala" of Alcúdia town hall on Tuesday evening. One could admire the considerable height of the room and the sense of nobility both of this altitude of local democracy and of the chairs that would normally be for the even greater and better, i.e. the local councillors, who dispense such democracy. Looking rather out of place in this room of some antiquity was a screen and the beam of PowerPoint. I think the chap probably needs to pay a bit of attention to his presentation technique. Shouldn't really have something up on screen for the audience to read whilst doing your spiel; distracts them, you see. Anyway, the chap was there to sell the Estaciones Náuticas idea - or water-sports centres if you prefer. To remind you - Alcúdia is to become the first such centre in Mallorca; they exist everywhere else in Spain but, for some reason, they seemed to have overlooked Mallorca until now, which might actually have been a question for the chap, but too late now.
The point is, of course, what is the point of it all, and what does it all mean? And one felt that, even after the presentation, there were some who didn't quite get the whole point - PowerPoint or no PowerPoint. It's not altogether surprising. One of the rare occasions during the presentation when I nodded with something approximating comprehension was when he drew a comparison with a ski resort. I'm not entirely sure why I did this nodding, but it seemed to make sense at the time, but on reflection I'm not sure that it does. But I suppose if one thinks of a ski resort as some sort of integrated tourist destination which generally has a reputation for quality, then I guess that this was what he was getting at and what I was agreeing with.
What would it mean in practice, though? There would not be anything new in a physical sense, except perhaps for an information and bookings centre and some transport between different things. Essentially, all it would be would be a coming together of existing facilities, and not just those on water, but also accommodation and restaurants etc.; all under this umbrella concept. Basically, it would be a branding exercise with a website. Alcúdia would become known as a water-sports centre and would use the Estaciones Náuticas logo as a mark of quality, and businesses associated with it could also display the logo. Or something like that.
If this brings about greater co-operation between businesses for the betterment of Alcúdia, then well and good, though one might ask why such co-operation has not existed in the past. There are meant, also, to be additional benefits both in terms of new products, whatever these might be, and a lessening of seasonality, though quite how this would occur I am not entirely sure, except that, through some co-operation, packages of holiday offer could be made, perhaps of the sort I have mentioned here before.
Alcúdia would be the first of these centres in Mallorca. Pollensa, I understand, is likely to follow. If it were to, would there then not be a danger that whatever sense of differentiation that Alcúdia might benefit from in being a water-sports centre would be diminished? If you have two such centres next to each other, does the message (whatever this might be) for both resorts not get rather lost? And what about other places, most obviously Can Picafort? It has as much claim to be a water-sports centre as Alcúdia and Pollensa, more so in one sense than Pollensa and that's because of the second marina at Son Serra. If its two richer neighbours, which already enjoy a reputation for rather superior quality, were to be branded with this mark of implied further quality, would it not suffer by comparison? Or would the intention be for it to also become part of the Estaciones Náuticas network? And then what would the point be, if everywhere could make the same claim?
If you are still a bit mystified about the whole thing, and I wouldn't really blame you if you were, you might want to take a look at the Estaciones Náuticas website for Menorca (http://www.enmenorca.org/); there are three resorts on that island that have this title. What you will find is that there are various sports and activities as well as accommodation and bars and restaurants. In other words, it's what was already there. And if there is meant to really be an advantage in reducing seasonality, I'm afraid Menorca is a poor advert as they don't even bother flying planes there in the off-season.
Much as I may appear to be cynical on this blog, I am not when it comes to new ideas. I was quite expecting to be saying that this is a great idea, but I'm afraid I can't get that enthusiastic about it. Beyond a bit of branding, it strikes me as something and nothing, albeit that there are also grants available from Turespaña, the national tourism organisation to which the Estaciones Náuticas network is attached. Will it bring more tourists to Alcúdia? Will they spend more money? Will the season stretch for longer? These are the questions businesses want positive answers to. I don't know that the Estaciones Náuticas concept can offer such answers. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - UB40 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCGcljqOSW0). Today's title - it's all about water, you see, as well as "stations". There is much water in Finland, and the thing is that I had intended this as the title the other day but Valentine's (and Kylie and Jason) intruded. Where's it from? One of the greatest of all singles.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The point is, of course, what is the point of it all, and what does it all mean? And one felt that, even after the presentation, there were some who didn't quite get the whole point - PowerPoint or no PowerPoint. It's not altogether surprising. One of the rare occasions during the presentation when I nodded with something approximating comprehension was when he drew a comparison with a ski resort. I'm not entirely sure why I did this nodding, but it seemed to make sense at the time, but on reflection I'm not sure that it does. But I suppose if one thinks of a ski resort as some sort of integrated tourist destination which generally has a reputation for quality, then I guess that this was what he was getting at and what I was agreeing with.
What would it mean in practice, though? There would not be anything new in a physical sense, except perhaps for an information and bookings centre and some transport between different things. Essentially, all it would be would be a coming together of existing facilities, and not just those on water, but also accommodation and restaurants etc.; all under this umbrella concept. Basically, it would be a branding exercise with a website. Alcúdia would become known as a water-sports centre and would use the Estaciones Náuticas logo as a mark of quality, and businesses associated with it could also display the logo. Or something like that.
If this brings about greater co-operation between businesses for the betterment of Alcúdia, then well and good, though one might ask why such co-operation has not existed in the past. There are meant, also, to be additional benefits both in terms of new products, whatever these might be, and a lessening of seasonality, though quite how this would occur I am not entirely sure, except that, through some co-operation, packages of holiday offer could be made, perhaps of the sort I have mentioned here before.
Alcúdia would be the first of these centres in Mallorca. Pollensa, I understand, is likely to follow. If it were to, would there then not be a danger that whatever sense of differentiation that Alcúdia might benefit from in being a water-sports centre would be diminished? If you have two such centres next to each other, does the message (whatever this might be) for both resorts not get rather lost? And what about other places, most obviously Can Picafort? It has as much claim to be a water-sports centre as Alcúdia and Pollensa, more so in one sense than Pollensa and that's because of the second marina at Son Serra. If its two richer neighbours, which already enjoy a reputation for rather superior quality, were to be branded with this mark of implied further quality, would it not suffer by comparison? Or would the intention be for it to also become part of the Estaciones Náuticas network? And then what would the point be, if everywhere could make the same claim?
If you are still a bit mystified about the whole thing, and I wouldn't really blame you if you were, you might want to take a look at the Estaciones Náuticas website for Menorca (http://www.enmenorca.org/); there are three resorts on that island that have this title. What you will find is that there are various sports and activities as well as accommodation and bars and restaurants. In other words, it's what was already there. And if there is meant to really be an advantage in reducing seasonality, I'm afraid Menorca is a poor advert as they don't even bother flying planes there in the off-season.
Much as I may appear to be cynical on this blog, I am not when it comes to new ideas. I was quite expecting to be saying that this is a great idea, but I'm afraid I can't get that enthusiastic about it. Beyond a bit of branding, it strikes me as something and nothing, albeit that there are also grants available from Turespaña, the national tourism organisation to which the Estaciones Náuticas network is attached. Will it bring more tourists to Alcúdia? Will they spend more money? Will the season stretch for longer? These are the questions businesses want positive answers to. I don't know that the Estaciones Náuticas concept can offer such answers. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not convinced.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - UB40 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCGcljqOSW0). Today's title - it's all about water, you see, as well as "stations". There is much water in Finland, and the thing is that I had intended this as the title the other day but Valentine's (and Kylie and Jason) intruded. Where's it from? One of the greatest of all singles.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
