Spain has the best tourism statistics system in the world. If true, then many of you will be wondering how bad other countries' systems are. This best status is claimed by Manuel Figuerola, the director of tourism doctorate studies at the Antonio de Nebrija University in Madrid. In giving an indication of other countries' systems, he suggests that it isn't that they don't know how to go about obtaining statistics, just that they don't give the same weight that Spain does to the measurement of tourism activity in evaluating total economic performance. For a country whose economic rebirth in the 1960s was founded on tourism, this is not perhaps surprising.
Though Sr. Figuerola praises the stats, he is not getting carried away. There is a great deal of information and data but not a corresponding level of knowledge as to what the stats mean. It is why he is proposing changes.
We are bombarded with this stuff. Tourist arrivals, passenger numbers at the airport, tourist spending, hotel occupancy, the occupancy of the "extra-hotel" sector (the legitimate one), occupancy of the less than legitimate sector, the number of overnight stays, percentage increases or decreases of all sorts of indicators compared with the year or years before or with the previous month or quarter. It was big data before anyone had come up with the term big data: big because there is so much of it. But big doesn't always mean good. Just because there might be a ten per cent rise in whatever, without context and explanation (knowledge), the information is largely meaningless.
Taken at face value the reports of growth, as shown by statistics, are automatically assumed to be a "good thing", something to be shouted out and styled with clichés of booms, bonanzas, historic records and what have you. Some of this may well be a good thing, but to arrive at a true appreciation of how good (or less than good) it may be, something more than the superficiality of the figures themselves is required.
The tourism stats that are produced, as I've explained previously, are driven by Bank of Spain requirements. It is the body which comes up with balance of payments information, and tourism is a key ingredient in this. Consequently, the system of statistics is directed at providing global macroeconomic data, and herein lies the fundamental fault with the reporting of tourism statistical information. It is reporting of something that can never be anything more than indicative. And Sr. Figuerola recognises this. It is why he wants to move towards a system that is far more specific: the impact of tourism on the economy, employment and environment at the local level. By this, he means individual municipalities. By extension, this means individual resorts.
Such an approach will doubtless resonate with many of you. The quoting of global statistics can all too often appear at variance with realities: those of specific resorts. This may invite a question as to why there hasn't been greater attention paid to a more micro approach, but if the macro level is all that has been of concern, then it is perhaps understandable. Or maybe there has been a wish not to know. It's better to have the global figures than worry too much about how types of accommodation and board, predominant tourist profiles, environmental and infrastructure sufficiencies or deficiencies might give very different information. And if the objective, as Sr. Figuerola is suggesting, is to end up with comparative tourism competitiveness data by municipality, there may be some municipalities which might prefer to still not know.
The fact is that they should know and be eager to find out. And the same applies for Mallorca as a whole. But to arrive at a far more meaningful system will require a change in how statistics are gathered and probably greater expense, though not vastly greater. At present, the statistics that we are presented with come via national government in the form of the National Statistics Institute (INE). The regions, such as the Balearics, have their own systems as well, though their information is rarely given as much prominence as those from the INE. And it, the INE, has come in for criticism since it assumed control of statistical reports for tourism spend, arrivals and so on from the national tourism agency, Turespaña.
In the Canaries, the government there took great exception to INE data which suggested January arrivals were almost 100,000 fewer than what the Canaries Institute of Statistics had calculated. That was a substantial difference. And if the local information was accurate, then it draws into question the role of a national body such as the INE, thus lending weight to the Figuerola proposal. This would require far more emphasis being placed on local organisations which are in a better position to arrive at the type of statistics which might give a truer picture of tourism.
Showing posts with label Tourism statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourism statistics. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Eco-Tax Crash: Myth or not myth?
As you might expect her to, the national secretary-of-state for tourism, Isabel Borrego, isn't a fan of tourist eco-taxes wherever they might be applied. She is of course affiliated to the Partido Popular - it is widely said she got the job because she was chummy with the ex-president of the Council of Mallorca, Maria Salom - and so she would be bound to oppose tourist taxes. Being Mallorcan, she has a particular interest in the plan for a Balearic tax, and she has been voicing her displeasure.
Borrego says that there are "objective data" which show that the new tax would create a loss in tourist numbers. These data relate to the previous tax. It, she says, led to there being one million fewer tourists in the Balearics during 2002-2003. Her objective data are open to question.
What losses did the Balearics incur because of the previous tax? Any? It is true to say, because the Balearic tourism ministry keep very complete records of these things, that there was a fall in tourism numbers in the first year that the tax was applied (it came into effect in May 2002). This decline, though sharp, was not as great as Borrego says: it was just over 550,000 for the whole of 2002. Nevertheless, and QED, the eco-tax meant more than half a million fewer tourists. Well, not necessarily.
Borrego has been speaking about the tax and how it is or will be perceived by the German market. The 2015/2016 version of this market will see itself as being under attack by the tax, one which implies a rejection of the visitor. In this, she is echoing the narrative from a separate issue that arose around the time of the old eco-tax. It was one to do with remarks from the then tourism minister, Celesti Alomar, and president of the Council of Mallorca, Maria Antonia Munar. They gave an implication that German tourism of the 2002 variety was not wanted: or at least a certain type of tourism was not wanted. This had little or nothing to do with the eco-tax. It had everything to do with wanting a whole new "quality tourism". It was picked up in Germany in particular, though it was a theme that applied to tourism from all markets: just as the eco-tax did.
The German market did require some later PR massaging in order for it to be satisfied that Alomar and Munar had not been waging some sort of campaign against it. But the fall in tourism (and in German tourism in particular) which occurred needs to be seen against this background, as it also needs to be considered in terms of economic conditions.
While tourism in the Balearics in 2002 fell by 7.6%, the German market showed one of the heaviest falls: down 16%. Indeed, most markets were down that year. The British registered a small 1.2% drop. So, was this the result of the eco-tax?
The German economy went into recession at the end of 2001. Slight growth returned six months later, but weak economic performance was still evident enough by the start of 2003 for "The Economist" to feature an article entitled "Germany's Not Working" on 6 January. There were recessionary influences across Europe in 2002. The UK was an exception. Meanwhile, in Spain as a whole German tourism fell in 2002 by over 6%
The point is that the German market, which had roughly the same one-third share of all Balearic tourism as the UK market in 2001, was by far and away the most important reason why there was a fall in tourism in 2002. The 16% represented over 500,000 tourists. Therefore, was it just the eco-tax which contributed to the decline or did recession and those negative comments from politicians have as much impact if not more?
Moving on to 2003, though Germany was still stumbling economically, the German tourism market revived. As so often is the case (or certainly was before the prolonged "crisis"), confidence picked up relatively quickly. In 2003, and the eco-tax was still applicable until October, tourism in the Balearics grew by 6.6%. The German market was up by over 4%, the British by almost 7%. The losses of 2002 were all but regained.
These "objective data" suggest that in the second year of the eco-tax (2003), tourists - especially German tourists - had either accepted the reality of the tax or had shaken off anxieties caused by recession (a further anxiety, 9/11, has been widely accepted to have not been much of a factor in 2002). The growth in 2003 pushed total tourists numbers above those of 2001, when - and this is usually forgotten - there had also been a fall in tourism: before the eco-tax came in.
This isn't to let the eco-tax off completely. In 2002, for the five main sun and beach regions of Spain, the Balearics was the only one apart from the Canaries to experience a fall in tourism, and this fall - 7.6% - was much higher than the Canaries' 1.8%. Catalonia, meanwhile, had romped along with 15.2% growth.
Was the 2002 crash due to the eco-tax or is it a myth? Not totally. It did play a part, but how great a part is impossible to evaluate. One thing's for sure, it wasn't one million.
Borrego says that there are "objective data" which show that the new tax would create a loss in tourist numbers. These data relate to the previous tax. It, she says, led to there being one million fewer tourists in the Balearics during 2002-2003. Her objective data are open to question.
What losses did the Balearics incur because of the previous tax? Any? It is true to say, because the Balearic tourism ministry keep very complete records of these things, that there was a fall in tourism numbers in the first year that the tax was applied (it came into effect in May 2002). This decline, though sharp, was not as great as Borrego says: it was just over 550,000 for the whole of 2002. Nevertheless, and QED, the eco-tax meant more than half a million fewer tourists. Well, not necessarily.
Borrego has been speaking about the tax and how it is or will be perceived by the German market. The 2015/2016 version of this market will see itself as being under attack by the tax, one which implies a rejection of the visitor. In this, she is echoing the narrative from a separate issue that arose around the time of the old eco-tax. It was one to do with remarks from the then tourism minister, Celesti Alomar, and president of the Council of Mallorca, Maria Antonia Munar. They gave an implication that German tourism of the 2002 variety was not wanted: or at least a certain type of tourism was not wanted. This had little or nothing to do with the eco-tax. It had everything to do with wanting a whole new "quality tourism". It was picked up in Germany in particular, though it was a theme that applied to tourism from all markets: just as the eco-tax did.
The German market did require some later PR massaging in order for it to be satisfied that Alomar and Munar had not been waging some sort of campaign against it. But the fall in tourism (and in German tourism in particular) which occurred needs to be seen against this background, as it also needs to be considered in terms of economic conditions.
While tourism in the Balearics in 2002 fell by 7.6%, the German market showed one of the heaviest falls: down 16%. Indeed, most markets were down that year. The British registered a small 1.2% drop. So, was this the result of the eco-tax?
The German economy went into recession at the end of 2001. Slight growth returned six months later, but weak economic performance was still evident enough by the start of 2003 for "The Economist" to feature an article entitled "Germany's Not Working" on 6 January. There were recessionary influences across Europe in 2002. The UK was an exception. Meanwhile, in Spain as a whole German tourism fell in 2002 by over 6%
The point is that the German market, which had roughly the same one-third share of all Balearic tourism as the UK market in 2001, was by far and away the most important reason why there was a fall in tourism in 2002. The 16% represented over 500,000 tourists. Therefore, was it just the eco-tax which contributed to the decline or did recession and those negative comments from politicians have as much impact if not more?
Moving on to 2003, though Germany was still stumbling economically, the German tourism market revived. As so often is the case (or certainly was before the prolonged "crisis"), confidence picked up relatively quickly. In 2003, and the eco-tax was still applicable until October, tourism in the Balearics grew by 6.6%. The German market was up by over 4%, the British by almost 7%. The losses of 2002 were all but regained.
These "objective data" suggest that in the second year of the eco-tax (2003), tourists - especially German tourists - had either accepted the reality of the tax or had shaken off anxieties caused by recession (a further anxiety, 9/11, has been widely accepted to have not been much of a factor in 2002). The growth in 2003 pushed total tourists numbers above those of 2001, when - and this is usually forgotten - there had also been a fall in tourism: before the eco-tax came in.
This isn't to let the eco-tax off completely. In 2002, for the five main sun and beach regions of Spain, the Balearics was the only one apart from the Canaries to experience a fall in tourism, and this fall - 7.6% - was much higher than the Canaries' 1.8%. Catalonia, meanwhile, had romped along with 15.2% growth.
Was the 2002 crash due to the eco-tax or is it a myth? Not totally. It did play a part, but how great a part is impossible to evaluate. One thing's for sure, it wasn't one million.
Friday, February 27, 2015
The Battles For Mallorca's Tourism
Pre-election skirmishes they may be, but battle lines are nevertheless being drawn in the velvety white sands of Mallorca's tourism. Following the revelation (one that was not in the least bit surprising) of the eco-tax being revived by a pact of parties on the left, the Mallorca Hotel Party (aka Federation) and its presidential candidate, Inma de Benito, came out all guns blazing, seeking to shoot down eco-tax revivalism before it has any chance of being truly re-born. There was as little surprise at the hoteliers' objections as there had been at the left's rediscovered love affair with the tax. Meanwhile, Tourism Public Enemy Number One, the secretary-general of Podemos in the Balearics, Alberto Jarabo, had raised hackles sufficiently well for Calvia's Partido Popular to go into full anti-Podemos mode. At the council meeting, Jarabo's "threats" to the hotels were being condemned by PP-ites, desperately worried that they might be out of jobs come May.
Jarabo had of course riled some within the ranks of Podemos itself, and reactions like those of the Calvia PP might be said to give too much prominence to someone whose grasp on tourism may not be all that it seems. When Jarabo was justifying the return of the eco-tax, he referred to its implementation in Catalonia and Madrid. He was right on Catalonia but he was wrong about Madrid (and this, despite the fact that he comes from Madrid). There is no tourist tax in Madrid. Still, we have become used to Majorcan politicians having only limited knowledge of tourism matters. Bauzá once suggested that the Baltic countries were competitors to Mallorca's summer tourism. Prior to this assertion, no one else had ever made such a claim, and they certainly haven't done so since.
Someone who does have intimate understanding of Mallorca's tourism is Calvia town hall veteran Jaime Martínez. The larger than your average tourism minister bear has such deep knowledge that it is produced in a 50-page document replete with many-coloured graphs and pie charts, statistics and percentages. The "balance" of Balearics tourism in 2014 was presented for us all to see, and we could only but admire a ministerial ability to use presentation software. Before publishing this consultants' dream of a document, Jaime had been telling us how positive January's tourism had been. He stopped short of describing it as "historic" (one of his favoured adjectives) but a 21% increase in January's international tourism was cause for celebration and for confirming that the ministry's paltry promotional spend on travel fairs and blogger trips was paying off. However, when one considered the numbers for all of January's tourism, it became apparent that half of it was made up Spanish pensionistas, whose spend is just a fraction above zero, while state-subsidised pensioners from countries like Denmark were also in the mix (and they spend only a fraction more than their Spanish counterparts) as were - because tourist arrival statistics do not discriminate - all the various cycling teams, such as Sky and their entourages.
Jarabo had of course riled some within the ranks of Podemos itself, and reactions like those of the Calvia PP might be said to give too much prominence to someone whose grasp on tourism may not be all that it seems. When Jarabo was justifying the return of the eco-tax, he referred to its implementation in Catalonia and Madrid. He was right on Catalonia but he was wrong about Madrid (and this, despite the fact that he comes from Madrid). There is no tourist tax in Madrid. Still, we have become used to Majorcan politicians having only limited knowledge of tourism matters. Bauzá once suggested that the Baltic countries were competitors to Mallorca's summer tourism. Prior to this assertion, no one else had ever made such a claim, and they certainly haven't done so since.
Someone who does have intimate understanding of Mallorca's tourism is Calvia town hall veteran Jaime Martínez. The larger than your average tourism minister bear has such deep knowledge that it is produced in a 50-page document replete with many-coloured graphs and pie charts, statistics and percentages. The "balance" of Balearics tourism in 2014 was presented for us all to see, and we could only but admire a ministerial ability to use presentation software. Before publishing this consultants' dream of a document, Jaime had been telling us how positive January's tourism had been. He stopped short of describing it as "historic" (one of his favoured adjectives) but a 21% increase in January's international tourism was cause for celebration and for confirming that the ministry's paltry promotional spend on travel fairs and blogger trips was paying off. However, when one considered the numbers for all of January's tourism, it became apparent that half of it was made up Spanish pensionistas, whose spend is just a fraction above zero, while state-subsidised pensioners from countries like Denmark were also in the mix (and they spend only a fraction more than their Spanish counterparts) as were - because tourist arrival statistics do not discriminate - all the various cycling teams, such as Sky and their entourages.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tourist Apartments: Why the fuss then?
Playing the statistics game is one fraught with the danger that comes from disbelief. In Mallorca we know only too well that this is true. But as it is a game so beloved by the regional government, hoteliers and others, then I don't see why I shouldn't join in.
Research by the university and Sa Nostra Bank revealed that in August last year Mallorca received 1,355,241 tourists. Research isn't required in confirming the total number of hotel places in Mallorca. These are a matter of record, and the total stands at 284,956.
The more observant among you will have noticed that there are 31 days in August. Consequently, the daily average of the number of tourists in August is 43,717. But this doesn't correspond to the number of tourists who are in Mallorca on any given August day. Calculating this number with any accuracy isn't straightforward, but one way is by using standard methods recommended by the European Commission's Eurostat division.
Eurostat gives an average length of tourist stay for Mallorca of 6.5 nights. From this, one can make an admittedly simplistic calculation as to the average number of tourists on any given day - 284,160, a figure which is remarkably similar to the total number of hotel places. Average hotel occupancy rates, though, were in the order of 90% last August, so there were getting on for 30,000 tourists who were not staying in hotels.
For once, and quite remarkably, I find myself agreeing with Carlos Delgado. He has said that the level of tourism accounted for by rented accommodation is 9%. His sidekick, Jaime Martínez, has elaborated on this and places the figure at between 9% and 12.4%. My simple figure is 10%, so we are in a similar ballpark, though none of us are saying how much is actually illegal.
These figures are a good deal lower than ones that have been claimed by others. At roughly 10% of total tourism, they are significant but they by no means represent the sort of competitive threat that the hoteliers keep claiming. The hoteliers would of course like to capture this 10%, but this is unrealistic, as tourists want a choice, and there are many who want anything other than a hotel. Moreover, there will be times when the total number of tourists is higher, while the number of hotel places that are registered is a number for maximum capacity. Not all hotels operate under conditions of maximum capacity; you can probably lop off a good 10% from the total 285k number in order to arrive at a real figure, meaning that, as has been said many times, there aren't, certainly in the height of summer, enough hotel places to go round.
The government's quoting of 9% is very interesting. In a way, because it isn't that high, it undermines some of its own rhetoric, and begs a question as to why there is such an almighty great fuss about rented accommodation and why the government is loathe to extend commercialisation rights to private apartments. It is also interesting to note that the government is shifting its arguments. But they aren't that strong. For instance, Martínez says that apartment rental threatens "co-existence" in apartment buildings and communities, ignoring the fact that the tenancy act permits rental of a non-commercial variety that might do just this. He is also ignoring the fact that communities can agree to there not being rentals which might otherwise disturb this co-existence.
He also says that permitting more rented accommodation would result in a saturation of resources and infrastructure. How can this possibly be the case? If a building is built, it is reasonable to assume that there are resources, otherwise why was the building built in the first place. And were the hotels to ever achieve the unlikely and to command maximum capacity with 100% occupancy, a similar saturation would occur.
Furthermore, Martínez argues that property prices would be pushed up (though the property market might also receive a boost), that there would not be quality standards as defined by the tourism law (well, impose them then) and that local authorities would lose their power to determine ratios of land for tourist accommodation (no they wouldn't because they have, in any event, to apply the quotas as agreed with the Council of Mallorca and could be given the right to deny licences).
From all this, I form the distinct impression that the government knows that it has been backed into a corner. It might have thought that its meeting the other day was the final word, but it most certainly wasn't. The arguments are now only really starting.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Research by the university and Sa Nostra Bank revealed that in August last year Mallorca received 1,355,241 tourists. Research isn't required in confirming the total number of hotel places in Mallorca. These are a matter of record, and the total stands at 284,956.
The more observant among you will have noticed that there are 31 days in August. Consequently, the daily average of the number of tourists in August is 43,717. But this doesn't correspond to the number of tourists who are in Mallorca on any given August day. Calculating this number with any accuracy isn't straightforward, but one way is by using standard methods recommended by the European Commission's Eurostat division.
Eurostat gives an average length of tourist stay for Mallorca of 6.5 nights. From this, one can make an admittedly simplistic calculation as to the average number of tourists on any given day - 284,160, a figure which is remarkably similar to the total number of hotel places. Average hotel occupancy rates, though, were in the order of 90% last August, so there were getting on for 30,000 tourists who were not staying in hotels.
For once, and quite remarkably, I find myself agreeing with Carlos Delgado. He has said that the level of tourism accounted for by rented accommodation is 9%. His sidekick, Jaime Martínez, has elaborated on this and places the figure at between 9% and 12.4%. My simple figure is 10%, so we are in a similar ballpark, though none of us are saying how much is actually illegal.
These figures are a good deal lower than ones that have been claimed by others. At roughly 10% of total tourism, they are significant but they by no means represent the sort of competitive threat that the hoteliers keep claiming. The hoteliers would of course like to capture this 10%, but this is unrealistic, as tourists want a choice, and there are many who want anything other than a hotel. Moreover, there will be times when the total number of tourists is higher, while the number of hotel places that are registered is a number for maximum capacity. Not all hotels operate under conditions of maximum capacity; you can probably lop off a good 10% from the total 285k number in order to arrive at a real figure, meaning that, as has been said many times, there aren't, certainly in the height of summer, enough hotel places to go round.
The government's quoting of 9% is very interesting. In a way, because it isn't that high, it undermines some of its own rhetoric, and begs a question as to why there is such an almighty great fuss about rented accommodation and why the government is loathe to extend commercialisation rights to private apartments. It is also interesting to note that the government is shifting its arguments. But they aren't that strong. For instance, Martínez says that apartment rental threatens "co-existence" in apartment buildings and communities, ignoring the fact that the tenancy act permits rental of a non-commercial variety that might do just this. He is also ignoring the fact that communities can agree to there not being rentals which might otherwise disturb this co-existence.
He also says that permitting more rented accommodation would result in a saturation of resources and infrastructure. How can this possibly be the case? If a building is built, it is reasonable to assume that there are resources, otherwise why was the building built in the first place. And were the hotels to ever achieve the unlikely and to command maximum capacity with 100% occupancy, a similar saturation would occur.
Furthermore, Martínez argues that property prices would be pushed up (though the property market might also receive a boost), that there would not be quality standards as defined by the tourism law (well, impose them then) and that local authorities would lose their power to determine ratios of land for tourist accommodation (no they wouldn't because they have, in any event, to apply the quotas as agreed with the Council of Mallorca and could be given the right to deny licences).
From all this, I form the distinct impression that the government knows that it has been backed into a corner. It might have thought that its meeting the other day was the final word, but it most certainly wasn't. The arguments are now only really starting.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Friday, April 10, 2009
That Old-Time Religion
Easter has arrived, and it is time for some old-time religion and the religious production of hotel occupancy statistics, followed by expressions of an oh Godly nature or with a nod in the direction of the anti-God - "like hell it is". Delving into the reports, one discovers that, despite the weather being if not quite of a biblical flood style then of a rather damp nature, in Alcúdia the occupancy is pretty much like last year: roughly a third of the hotels operating and with an 85% take-up. Or so it's being said. But if so, then one might pray that a trend of mirroring 2008 numbers throughout the season would be a Godsend. Amen to that, we would all say; well, those of us who say "amen", which I tend not to.
The ongoing madcap stop-go situation that is, may be or may not be the golf development on the Son Bosc finca in Muro has taken a further twist. "The Diario" is saying that a report by experts from its own ministry has seemingly been ignored by the Balearic Government's environment ministry. That report warned that certain natural habitats and flora would be demolished. Moreover, these habitats would be lost, in contravention of a national Spanish law that places the onus on autonomous regions, such as the Balearics, to ensure that this doesn't happen. The paper makes, without comment, a link between the mayor of Muro, who supports the development, and the minister; that link being that they have a political party in common. It also says, once more, that the town hall is including the development in tourist material, despite the fact that not only does it not exist but work has not even started. That aspect is bizarre, to say the least . The ministry, for what it's worth, is casting doubt as to the "validity" of the report.
I confess I have rather lost the plot where the various reports and legal references to Son Bosc are concerned. But I seem to recall mentioning something about this ministry report in the past. Or maybe I didn't. It really is an unholy mess, which does rather go to prove, as with that other nonsense, the issuing of building licences, how too many levels of government can just confuse things no end. Muro town hall, the Balearics' ministry, the national government. You can probably toss in the European Commission, the European Parliament, the UN, the United Federation of Planets as well as, I daresay, the odd vested interest.
Talk Of The North
Some will already know that the current issue of "Talk Of The North" is to be the last. Economic situation and cuts to advertising, and all that. Few publications are immune, be they national dailies or a local fortnightly. It's a shame. It was a worthwhile project, especially in the sense of fostering a community identity. I would like to extend my best wishes to Ann; indeed I have done so.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Here are some middle-aged men who really should know better: Sex Pistols (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvxrYm4nxXY). Today's title - well, not the original of this, but which occasional and crazy hero of this blog once referenced this. Clue: captain, my captain, and it's not Robin Williams.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The ongoing madcap stop-go situation that is, may be or may not be the golf development on the Son Bosc finca in Muro has taken a further twist. "The Diario" is saying that a report by experts from its own ministry has seemingly been ignored by the Balearic Government's environment ministry. That report warned that certain natural habitats and flora would be demolished. Moreover, these habitats would be lost, in contravention of a national Spanish law that places the onus on autonomous regions, such as the Balearics, to ensure that this doesn't happen. The paper makes, without comment, a link between the mayor of Muro, who supports the development, and the minister; that link being that they have a political party in common. It also says, once more, that the town hall is including the development in tourist material, despite the fact that not only does it not exist but work has not even started. That aspect is bizarre, to say the least . The ministry, for what it's worth, is casting doubt as to the "validity" of the report.
I confess I have rather lost the plot where the various reports and legal references to Son Bosc are concerned. But I seem to recall mentioning something about this ministry report in the past. Or maybe I didn't. It really is an unholy mess, which does rather go to prove, as with that other nonsense, the issuing of building licences, how too many levels of government can just confuse things no end. Muro town hall, the Balearics' ministry, the national government. You can probably toss in the European Commission, the European Parliament, the UN, the United Federation of Planets as well as, I daresay, the odd vested interest.
Talk Of The North
Some will already know that the current issue of "Talk Of The North" is to be the last. Economic situation and cuts to advertising, and all that. Few publications are immune, be they national dailies or a local fortnightly. It's a shame. It was a worthwhile project, especially in the sense of fostering a community identity. I would like to extend my best wishes to Ann; indeed I have done so.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Here are some middle-aged men who really should know better: Sex Pistols (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvxrYm4nxXY). Today's title - well, not the original of this, but which occasional and crazy hero of this blog once referenced this. Clue: captain, my captain, and it's not Robin Williams.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Who was it that let me be a weather forecaster? Who was it let me say something like, oh well, there may be a bit of a shower but then it'll be nice and sunny? Who was it? Hmm, yes, well me. Take no notice. Want to know something certain about the weather. Rain. Today. Rain. Crap. You might believe that poor weather would not unduly concern me, given that there is always next week, or the week after, or the month after. Well it does. Apart from the fact that I genuinely do feel sorry for the visitors, there is what I do. Today. Rain. Crap. Only some spits and spots to begin with, then more, and more. Going around Puerto Pollensa with "El Puente", making drops all over the town. Getting wet. Trying to shield the books. And succeeding at my expense. Wet. And venturing onto the front, the chill off the sea hits at the sweat of having marched about the place for an hour or so already. The combination of a cold. I know. It's happened before. Wet. Sweaty. Windy. Chilly. Fever. What I go through in the name of clients. Get up. No breakfast. Get out. Get wet. Eventually I gave up. And stopped off for something to eat - finally. And saw Emma from Sea Club. How do you keep a hotel full of over 1000 people happy with this weather? Well, they're managing, she says. This is when the hotel staff, the receptionist, the entertainers really earn their crust. When they can also be reduced to tears. The story goes of the receptionist at the Jupiter (or was it Marte or Saturno, doesn't matter, you know where I mean) who was so bombarded by the misery of the guests and the accusations that it was all somehow her fault that she just broke down. I can understand frustration, but - odd though it may seem - there is not a lot that hotels, receptionists, entertainers, bar owners, restaurant waiters, excursions operators, tourist office personnel can do about the weather.
And so where were we? Yesterday. Remember those good figures for visitors in the first four months but the decline that had occurred during April? Well today comes what might have been expected. Holiday sales to the Balearics have gone into "recession" in the UK, according to the head of the Mallorca hotel federation (as reported in the "Diario"). To compound the external problems and that of the euro-pound imbalance, there is also the issue of local inflation. As a consequence, prices have risen, as some anecdotal reports have suggested, not that these price rises are necessarily going to translate into profit growth; the contrary in fact.
But you know, even with all this bad news knocking around, you talk to a bar-owner who really works his place and you hear that things are better than last year. Which bar? Try guessing. Puerto Pollensa. And moreover, though this bar does very well thank you from sports television, there is not a concern about the absence of British Isles teams from the upcoming Euro championships. He knows you can't rely on this. I know it, too. Run a good house. Be reliable. Provide a good atmosphere. And despite the apparent problems, turnover can still be increased.
QUIZ
Chain - Roger McGuinn to The Byrds and "Turn, Turn, Turn" to "Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James which was filmed as "The Innocents". And how do you get from that film to George Michael? Yesterday's title - Bob Dylan. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
And so where were we? Yesterday. Remember those good figures for visitors in the first four months but the decline that had occurred during April? Well today comes what might have been expected. Holiday sales to the Balearics have gone into "recession" in the UK, according to the head of the Mallorca hotel federation (as reported in the "Diario"). To compound the external problems and that of the euro-pound imbalance, there is also the issue of local inflation. As a consequence, prices have risen, as some anecdotal reports have suggested, not that these price rises are necessarily going to translate into profit growth; the contrary in fact.
But you know, even with all this bad news knocking around, you talk to a bar-owner who really works his place and you hear that things are better than last year. Which bar? Try guessing. Puerto Pollensa. And moreover, though this bar does very well thank you from sports television, there is not a concern about the absence of British Isles teams from the upcoming Euro championships. He knows you can't rely on this. I know it, too. Run a good house. Be reliable. Provide a good atmosphere. And despite the apparent problems, turnover can still be increased.
QUIZ
Chain - Roger McGuinn to The Byrds and "Turn, Turn, Turn" to "Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James which was filmed as "The Innocents". And how do you get from that film to George Michael? Yesterday's title - Bob Dylan. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall
Oh well, so all is ok. The weather may have been somewhat iffy this month but at least the four months of the year were good - statistically speaking. Ho hum, here we go again. The silly statistics season. Not that it is a season, it is all-year, a hardy annual. But during those first four months, the total number of visitors to he Balearics was up by 1.5 %. Champagne-corking time indeed. Ah, but wait. Put the champagne back on ice and settle for a Vimto. In April, there was a decrease of 2.4 %. You see, statistics can tell you all sorts of stories. April is close to May. Generally speaking, it is the month before May. Maybe that decrease is more telling than the cheery numbers taken across the whole of the first third of the year. Anyway, despite the economic gloom back in the UK, it is the UK market that is keeping the Balearics buoyant. There was a 3.7% increase in the number of Brits from January to April.
The problem is, however much the figures are spun, and there is a love affair with statistical evidence as to the splendid number of visitors, there are also the numbers and the anecdotal evidence regarding the visitors' spend. This is more important than the totals coming into the islands. Those totals are used as means of self-congratulation, but they disguise the real tourist economy.
I am unaware of any figures yet for spend this year, but I was chatting today to someone who, anecdotally admittedly, probably has a decent handle on how things are this season. He is one of the few PRs knocking around Alcúdia. He's been doing it for years. His first words to me today were: "hard work, mate, bloody hard work". "How come?" "No money, mate. No one's spending. The pound and euro."
This comes as absolutely no surprise. Combine the weak pound with the economic problems back in the UK and you have the conditions for weak spend as well.
And then there is the hard work that is being caused by the weather. Go to forums at the moment and there is considerable anxiety among those coming over the next week or so and even into the middle of June. Ever since it became possible to see weather forecasts so easily, the visitor has become a nervous wreck, checking those forecasts by the day and fretting over what to pack, what to do if it rains, and even whether to cancel. Now I don't wish to diminish the importance of the weather. Of course people want sun, but, in a way, all that information, all that ease of information, has just led to worry; worry that didn't exist in the good old days when you got on a plane and listened intently to the pilot telling you it was 75 degrees or whatever. My take on all the current forecasts is that, though cloud and rain is being shown for a few days yet, there may be occasional showers, but that generally it will be fine, sunny and warm. Yesterday was like that. Rain in the morning. Good by midday and then for the rest of the day.
There is another take on the rain that we've been having. It's good for gardens and farmers. The editor of "The Bulletin" made a point of this, saying that he finally said to a taxi-driver who was commenting on the benefits of the rain for farmers, that he was sick of hearing this and that we need good weather for the far more important economic sector that is tourism. He's right, but the taxi-driver wasn't necessarily right. That rain has been a disaster for some involved in the market gardening sector - the potato-growers in particular. There is a real concern in the centre of the potato - Sa Pobla - as to how well exports will be this year because of the rain. The fact is that the rain is generally not important. Go through the centres of farming and market gardening and there are always sprinklers; water, artifically applied, is what much of the agricultural community uses. Rain, at least rain at this time of the year, is of questionable value. So, could someone just stop it. Stop it raining that is.
QUIZ
Chain - "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" to The Mamas and The Papas, to "Creeque Alley" and so McGuinn and McGuire. So how do you get from Roger McGuinn to the great British film "The Innocents"? Yesterday's title - Mary Hopkin. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The problem is, however much the figures are spun, and there is a love affair with statistical evidence as to the splendid number of visitors, there are also the numbers and the anecdotal evidence regarding the visitors' spend. This is more important than the totals coming into the islands. Those totals are used as means of self-congratulation, but they disguise the real tourist economy.
I am unaware of any figures yet for spend this year, but I was chatting today to someone who, anecdotally admittedly, probably has a decent handle on how things are this season. He is one of the few PRs knocking around Alcúdia. He's been doing it for years. His first words to me today were: "hard work, mate, bloody hard work". "How come?" "No money, mate. No one's spending. The pound and euro."
This comes as absolutely no surprise. Combine the weak pound with the economic problems back in the UK and you have the conditions for weak spend as well.
And then there is the hard work that is being caused by the weather. Go to forums at the moment and there is considerable anxiety among those coming over the next week or so and even into the middle of June. Ever since it became possible to see weather forecasts so easily, the visitor has become a nervous wreck, checking those forecasts by the day and fretting over what to pack, what to do if it rains, and even whether to cancel. Now I don't wish to diminish the importance of the weather. Of course people want sun, but, in a way, all that information, all that ease of information, has just led to worry; worry that didn't exist in the good old days when you got on a plane and listened intently to the pilot telling you it was 75 degrees or whatever. My take on all the current forecasts is that, though cloud and rain is being shown for a few days yet, there may be occasional showers, but that generally it will be fine, sunny and warm. Yesterday was like that. Rain in the morning. Good by midday and then for the rest of the day.
There is another take on the rain that we've been having. It's good for gardens and farmers. The editor of "The Bulletin" made a point of this, saying that he finally said to a taxi-driver who was commenting on the benefits of the rain for farmers, that he was sick of hearing this and that we need good weather for the far more important economic sector that is tourism. He's right, but the taxi-driver wasn't necessarily right. That rain has been a disaster for some involved in the market gardening sector - the potato-growers in particular. There is a real concern in the centre of the potato - Sa Pobla - as to how well exports will be this year because of the rain. The fact is that the rain is generally not important. Go through the centres of farming and market gardening and there are always sprinklers; water, artifically applied, is what much of the agricultural community uses. Rain, at least rain at this time of the year, is of questionable value. So, could someone just stop it. Stop it raining that is.
QUIZ
Chain - "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" to The Mamas and The Papas, to "Creeque Alley" and so McGuinn and McGuire. So how do you get from Roger McGuinn to the great British film "The Innocents"? Yesterday's title - Mary Hopkin. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, November 09, 2007
Living By Numbers
So the Balearics did enjoy a record year. Between January and September there was a plus 6% increase in the number of visitors (11,5 million in total - 8.3 million to Mallorca by air). That’s the good bit, but, as today’s “Diario” points out, there was a fall in spend of seven per cent. This confirms what has been widely observed during the season. If the trend this year has been for less spend, might this trend continue? While 2008 is still expected to be another good year, in terms of numbers, the negative effect of higher mortgages and of the credit crisis is likely to be more significant next year. One cannot help but form the impression that a decrease in spend is an ongoing trend.
All-inclusives are widely blamed for this decrease, but I’ve been here before; they are not the only cause. There would appear to be some good news in this regard for traders. According to more figures, there has been a backward movement in the AI offer during the high season; it represents only 2.5% of the total hotel offer on the Balearics. This may be so, but there are areas of AI concentration. In the “Diario” report, mention is made of the Llevant and north of Mallorca. It perhaps depends how one reads the report, but it seems to say that there are eight establishments in these two areas combined which offer AI ( it could also be read as meaning eight in the north). Llevant is the area of the east of the island from Artà down to Manacor. North is Alcúdia, Pollensa and Can Picafort. Whatever the meaning, to suggest that there are only eight hotels offering AI is misleading. (The information comes from the Balearic Government.)
Take one example - the Iberostar chain of hotels. Have a look at its website. How many hotels does it have in Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort? Eight. How many of its hotels in Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort offer AI? Eight. It is not the only form of board, but it is most certainly on offer. I seem to think that in at least one of these Iberostar hotels, AI is mandatory in high season. So that is eight hotels of just one group.
There is a definition issue here. When the report speaks of eight establishments, it means eight that offer AI and only AI - exclusive all-inclusive in other words (which might be considered a contradiction in terms depending - again - on how you read it). Generally though the picture regarding all-inclusives is more positive - for those who would rather see the back of them. The total number of exclusive AI hotels is 36 in the whole of the Balearics.This figure is down, as is that for hotels which offer AI as an option (such as the Iberostars), but it should be noted that these hotels represent 13.4% of the total. The number may be falling, but it is still significant. And that percentage only hints at an average - where the concentrations are, the figure could be, and I suspect is, quite a bit higher.
There is another issue. In Alcúdia, for instance, some of the biggest hotels are all-inclusive - exclusive all-inclusive. Even one that is not exclusive - Bellevue - has a substantial AI offer; 30% is what one hears. Bellevue has nearly 4200 beds - 1260 AI possibly. Lagomonte from the same group (Hotetur) is AI only - 542 beds. The three Club Mac hotels - Jupiter, Saturn, Mars - are exclusive AI: 2000 or so beds between them. The Condesa de la Bahía is exclusive AI - 1000. The point I’m making is that between six hotels, the number of AI guests is around 4860. I have worked out, based on 47 other establishments in Alcúdia, that the average hotel size is 445 - just under 21000 places*. In other words, 11.3% of the total number of hotels in the sample accounts for nearly 19% of the total number of places - that’s 19% on an exclusive all-inclusive basis (the Bellevue 30% treated as exclusive). Add on those guests taking up AI at other hotels, and the figure rises. To what, who knows?
The thing is one reads that the number of AIs is only 2.5% (or 13.4% depending on definition), and it maybe doesn’t sound a lot, but break it down by hotel, and as importantly by number of guests, and the figure changes dramatically. Statistics - who’d believe ‘em.
* Without wishing to get too detailed: The total sample was 53; Bellevue was double-counted in the 6 and the 47, and its non-AI figure is included in the 21000. (6 of 53 = 11.3%; 4860 of 25860 = 18.8%.)
QUIZ
Yesterday - Robbie, who else. Today’s title - song by a Brit group, not very successful, sort of a Human League-ish type.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
All-inclusives are widely blamed for this decrease, but I’ve been here before; they are not the only cause. There would appear to be some good news in this regard for traders. According to more figures, there has been a backward movement in the AI offer during the high season; it represents only 2.5% of the total hotel offer on the Balearics. This may be so, but there are areas of AI concentration. In the “Diario” report, mention is made of the Llevant and north of Mallorca. It perhaps depends how one reads the report, but it seems to say that there are eight establishments in these two areas combined which offer AI ( it could also be read as meaning eight in the north). Llevant is the area of the east of the island from Artà down to Manacor. North is Alcúdia, Pollensa and Can Picafort. Whatever the meaning, to suggest that there are only eight hotels offering AI is misleading. (The information comes from the Balearic Government.)
Take one example - the Iberostar chain of hotels. Have a look at its website. How many hotels does it have in Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort? Eight. How many of its hotels in Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort offer AI? Eight. It is not the only form of board, but it is most certainly on offer. I seem to think that in at least one of these Iberostar hotels, AI is mandatory in high season. So that is eight hotels of just one group.
There is a definition issue here. When the report speaks of eight establishments, it means eight that offer AI and only AI - exclusive all-inclusive in other words (which might be considered a contradiction in terms depending - again - on how you read it). Generally though the picture regarding all-inclusives is more positive - for those who would rather see the back of them. The total number of exclusive AI hotels is 36 in the whole of the Balearics.This figure is down, as is that for hotels which offer AI as an option (such as the Iberostars), but it should be noted that these hotels represent 13.4% of the total. The number may be falling, but it is still significant. And that percentage only hints at an average - where the concentrations are, the figure could be, and I suspect is, quite a bit higher.
There is another issue. In Alcúdia, for instance, some of the biggest hotels are all-inclusive - exclusive all-inclusive. Even one that is not exclusive - Bellevue - has a substantial AI offer; 30% is what one hears. Bellevue has nearly 4200 beds - 1260 AI possibly. Lagomonte from the same group (Hotetur) is AI only - 542 beds. The three Club Mac hotels - Jupiter, Saturn, Mars - are exclusive AI: 2000 or so beds between them. The Condesa de la Bahía is exclusive AI - 1000. The point I’m making is that between six hotels, the number of AI guests is around 4860. I have worked out, based on 47 other establishments in Alcúdia, that the average hotel size is 445 - just under 21000 places*. In other words, 11.3% of the total number of hotels in the sample accounts for nearly 19% of the total number of places - that’s 19% on an exclusive all-inclusive basis (the Bellevue 30% treated as exclusive). Add on those guests taking up AI at other hotels, and the figure rises. To what, who knows?
The thing is one reads that the number of AIs is only 2.5% (or 13.4% depending on definition), and it maybe doesn’t sound a lot, but break it down by hotel, and as importantly by number of guests, and the figure changes dramatically. Statistics - who’d believe ‘em.
* Without wishing to get too detailed: The total sample was 53; Bellevue was double-counted in the 6 and the 47, and its non-AI figure is included in the 21000. (6 of 53 = 11.3%; 4860 of 25860 = 18.8%.)
QUIZ
Yesterday - Robbie, who else. Today’s title - song by a Brit group, not very successful, sort of a Human League-ish type.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
It's My Party
If it’s Monday it must be Palma, or rather it was. Ah, the life of a world figure bringing his gospel to the masses with the help of a fair-sized wad of folding notes. Al Gore duly pitched up at a conference for family businesses in Palma and gave his views to a select group of the worthy. Nobel Prize or no Nobel Prize, there is something that worries me about Al Gore, but that is not for here. More importantly, his evangelistic climate-change message has not met with universal agreement. Notably, the leader of the Partido Popular nationally, Mariano Rajoy, questioned the whole problem of climate change. Seemingly, he bases his opposition on the opinion of his cousin who works as a physicist at the University of Seville. Now, I am sure there is more to it (at least I would hope there would be), and I have no reason to query the cousin’s qualifications, but for a politician (who could be Spain’s leader this time next year) to use this opinion strikes me as a tad thin. It is stronger than quoting the opinon of a bloke he met in the pub, but one does expect a little more from leading politicos.
Anyway, back to Al Gore. The former US vice-president came, he spoke and he went. Like many of his fellow (tourist) countrypeople, it was a case of ticking off another place, albeit that he didn’t hang around to get a few snaps. I wonder if Al really knew who he was talking to. I say this as I have a Henry Kissinger story that is similar. Some years ago in my then publishing role, I attended a management conference in New Orleans. Kissinger was the keynote speaker. It became clear as he was speaking that he didn’t know what the conference was all about; just gave us his speech on whatever it was and was off, save for a short press conference which I attended. The members of the press were thin on the ground - a handful of local hacks and a TV crew, myself and a journalist colleague from the UK. The conference stuttered along, so I stood up to ask what I doubtless thought was some searching question (I cannot remember what it was). When I announced who I was and where I was from, Kissinger interrupted me, asking: “What are you doing HERE?” I wanted to reply: “Well, I might ask what YOU are doing here?”, but thought better of it. I bring this up because, big splash though Gore’s visit has made, it would have probably meant little to him. Just another day, just another speech.
To other matters. Another disappearance, this the curious case of Sara Cooper who has gone missing from her hotel in Cales de Mallorca following the fall from a fifth-floor balcony of her daughter Gianna. The little girl is out of danger, but the mother ... her body has now been found at Cala Domingo.
And tourist figures ... Mallorca registered over 83% hotel occupancy in September, the highest in Spain. Intriguingly (though we are talking percentages here), the two parts of the island that did the best were not Calvia nor Alcúdia nor Pollensa, but Santanyí in the south-east and Capdepera in the north-east. Whatever.
QUIZ
Yesterday - The Zombies. Today’s title - what connection does this have with Al Gore? The answer is not the Democratic Party, but a singer.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Anyway, back to Al Gore. The former US vice-president came, he spoke and he went. Like many of his fellow (tourist) countrypeople, it was a case of ticking off another place, albeit that he didn’t hang around to get a few snaps. I wonder if Al really knew who he was talking to. I say this as I have a Henry Kissinger story that is similar. Some years ago in my then publishing role, I attended a management conference in New Orleans. Kissinger was the keynote speaker. It became clear as he was speaking that he didn’t know what the conference was all about; just gave us his speech on whatever it was and was off, save for a short press conference which I attended. The members of the press were thin on the ground - a handful of local hacks and a TV crew, myself and a journalist colleague from the UK. The conference stuttered along, so I stood up to ask what I doubtless thought was some searching question (I cannot remember what it was). When I announced who I was and where I was from, Kissinger interrupted me, asking: “What are you doing HERE?” I wanted to reply: “Well, I might ask what YOU are doing here?”, but thought better of it. I bring this up because, big splash though Gore’s visit has made, it would have probably meant little to him. Just another day, just another speech.
To other matters. Another disappearance, this the curious case of Sara Cooper who has gone missing from her hotel in Cales de Mallorca following the fall from a fifth-floor balcony of her daughter Gianna. The little girl is out of danger, but the mother ... her body has now been found at Cala Domingo.
And tourist figures ... Mallorca registered over 83% hotel occupancy in September, the highest in Spain. Intriguingly (though we are talking percentages here), the two parts of the island that did the best were not Calvia nor Alcúdia nor Pollensa, but Santanyí in the south-east and Capdepera in the north-east. Whatever.
QUIZ
Yesterday - The Zombies. Today’s title - what connection does this have with Al Gore? The answer is not the Democratic Party, but a singer.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, September 28, 2007
From Russia With Love
This is the season for statistics. I may have described them before as being “fatuous”, but they do serve a purpose if only for me to be able to point out apparent inconsistencies. Let’s take the case of Russian tourism, a market perceived as being well doshed-up and therefore of interest to any a tourist-based economy. Yesterday, I noted that Russian tourism to the Balearics in the months to end-August had risen by just over 4%. This is a figure provided by a Balearics organisation for investigation and touristic technologies - CITTIB. Today, “The Bulletin” reports the Balearic Minister for Tourism as saying that in the first seven months (i.e. till end-July) that figure was up by 12.4%. Now, there isn’t actually a discrepancy here, because if one adds the numbers for August alone, the total - for the EIGHT months - is just a touch under 23,000 (in line with the CITTIB figures), the Minister pointing out that the figure for the SEVEN months was 15,769. I hope you’re following all of this.
But what the Minister has done is to report a healthy percentage rise for seven months and not take into account the fact that Russian tourism in August fell by over 10% over 2006, hence the 4% figure for the EIGHT months. 12.4 sounds better than 4.2, I think it’s fair to say. Which just all goes to show - as ever - that you can prove whatever you want with statistics. Fatuous? No, that’s unfair, but they should be read and interpreted with caution.
COFFEE
Apparently there is a travelling exhibition going around designed to promote awareness of “fair trade” coffee from central America. Worthy stuff, but mention of coffee prompts me to spotlight someone who has contributed hugely to the Mallorcan and Spanish holiday and life experience. Indeed without him one could argue the whole experience would not be quite the same. Achille Gaggia. Who he?
Gaggia was a Milanese bar owner. In 1938, he patented the Espresso coffee machine. The smell of freshly-prepared coffee is satisfying enough wherever one is, but add that smell to the warmth of a morning on holiday and it is highly evocative. Gaggia said that the machine “makes it quite difficult to make really bad coffee”, something I wouldn’t necessarily concur with. There are places hereabouts that make fabulous coffee. Why it should vary so much I don’t really know, but - and by all means offer alternatives - the coffee at Cas Capella in Alcúdia takes some beating. Don’t ask me why.
(Source for Gaggia reference: Peter Hennessy, “Having It So Good: Britain In The Fifties”, Allen Lane, 2006.)
VERMAR
Binissalem is currently enjoying its annual wine and grape fiesta - the Vermar. This is a jolly old thrash. People tread grapes, roll in them, throw them, get smothered in them, and with all the rain around they make wine in the process. Given that sampling is an obvious feature of the event, best not to take the car, which is why No Frills’ day out to the Vermar on Sunday would have been an ideal excuse. But I can’t make it. Damn.
QUIZ
Yesterday - As rightly pointed out by Anne Marie just back from Puerto Pollensa, it was Rex Harrison. The female part was Julie Andrews in the stage version of “My Fair Lady” but not Audrey Hepburn in the film. As Aud was not reckoned to be much of a singer, the vocal was actually Marni Nixon. Today’s title - who sang this Bond theme tune?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
But what the Minister has done is to report a healthy percentage rise for seven months and not take into account the fact that Russian tourism in August fell by over 10% over 2006, hence the 4% figure for the EIGHT months. 12.4 sounds better than 4.2, I think it’s fair to say. Which just all goes to show - as ever - that you can prove whatever you want with statistics. Fatuous? No, that’s unfair, but they should be read and interpreted with caution.
COFFEE
Apparently there is a travelling exhibition going around designed to promote awareness of “fair trade” coffee from central America. Worthy stuff, but mention of coffee prompts me to spotlight someone who has contributed hugely to the Mallorcan and Spanish holiday and life experience. Indeed without him one could argue the whole experience would not be quite the same. Achille Gaggia. Who he?
Gaggia was a Milanese bar owner. In 1938, he patented the Espresso coffee machine. The smell of freshly-prepared coffee is satisfying enough wherever one is, but add that smell to the warmth of a morning on holiday and it is highly evocative. Gaggia said that the machine “makes it quite difficult to make really bad coffee”, something I wouldn’t necessarily concur with. There are places hereabouts that make fabulous coffee. Why it should vary so much I don’t really know, but - and by all means offer alternatives - the coffee at Cas Capella in Alcúdia takes some beating. Don’t ask me why.
(Source for Gaggia reference: Peter Hennessy, “Having It So Good: Britain In The Fifties”, Allen Lane, 2006.)
VERMAR
Binissalem is currently enjoying its annual wine and grape fiesta - the Vermar. This is a jolly old thrash. People tread grapes, roll in them, throw them, get smothered in them, and with all the rain around they make wine in the process. Given that sampling is an obvious feature of the event, best not to take the car, which is why No Frills’ day out to the Vermar on Sunday would have been an ideal excuse. But I can’t make it. Damn.
QUIZ
Yesterday - As rightly pointed out by Anne Marie just back from Puerto Pollensa, it was Rex Harrison. The female part was Julie Andrews in the stage version of “My Fair Lady” but not Audrey Hepburn in the film. As Aud was not reckoned to be much of a singer, the vocal was actually Marni Nixon. Today’s title - who sang this Bond theme tune?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Stays Mainly In The Plain
Want rain? We got rain. Not so much in the north, a mere 4 litres per square metre in Pollensa, but in Lluchmajor 79 and in Palma over 50. And what happened? Right. The metro flooded. Again. This is a shambles. It would be a laughing-stock if it weren’t so serious in terms of the investment and now the disruption (actually it is a laughing-stock anyway). “Ultima Hora” reports that the design faults are far from isolated, saying that, in one instance, “the metro entrances are orientated against logic” (that’s a poor translation, but you get the drift).
RECORD YEAR?
Despite the fact that August occupancy rates were down, the overall performance for the year to end-August has seen a rise in the numbers coming to Mallorca by air, an increase of 4.3%. This prompts “The Bulletin” to a characteristic bout of headlining - “Tourism Record”. But if you delve into the figures for the whole of the Balearics, you discover that this increase is largely explained by Spanish tourism - up a whopping 21.4%. As I have explained before though, this does not translate necessarily into good news in the north of the island, as the numbers of Spanish visitors are comparatively low.
British numbers are up, at just under 3%, but the German figure is down a fraction. Interestingly (or maybe not interestingly, depends on your point of view), the two nations with the highest percentage increases are France and Denmark, while the much-vaunted new money from Russia shows only a 4% increase.
What I don’t quite understand is this - two days ago, I pointed out that hotel occupancy rates for August in the Balearics were down by nearly 2%, yet the number of visitors in August was up by almost 6%. Where were they all staying? In holiday lets? Maybe they were, but the discrepancy in the figures does make me wonder.
Oh, and coincidence time (how often does this blog seem to revolve around coincidences). There was I suggesting Air Berlin might sponsor Mallorca, and blow me there is an announcement that the airline is to extend its routes this winter. Only a matter of time ...
QUIZ
Yesterday - UB40. Today’s title - well, it doesn’t stay mainly in the plain; it falls mainly on the new metro, but who, by George, sang the famous line - “The rain in Spain stays ...”?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
RECORD YEAR?
Despite the fact that August occupancy rates were down, the overall performance for the year to end-August has seen a rise in the numbers coming to Mallorca by air, an increase of 4.3%. This prompts “The Bulletin” to a characteristic bout of headlining - “Tourism Record”. But if you delve into the figures for the whole of the Balearics, you discover that this increase is largely explained by Spanish tourism - up a whopping 21.4%. As I have explained before though, this does not translate necessarily into good news in the north of the island, as the numbers of Spanish visitors are comparatively low.
British numbers are up, at just under 3%, but the German figure is down a fraction. Interestingly (or maybe not interestingly, depends on your point of view), the two nations with the highest percentage increases are France and Denmark, while the much-vaunted new money from Russia shows only a 4% increase.
What I don’t quite understand is this - two days ago, I pointed out that hotel occupancy rates for August in the Balearics were down by nearly 2%, yet the number of visitors in August was up by almost 6%. Where were they all staying? In holiday lets? Maybe they were, but the discrepancy in the figures does make me wonder.
Oh, and coincidence time (how often does this blog seem to revolve around coincidences). There was I suggesting Air Berlin might sponsor Mallorca, and blow me there is an announcement that the airline is to extend its routes this winter. Only a matter of time ...
QUIZ
Yesterday - UB40. Today’s title - well, it doesn’t stay mainly in the plain; it falls mainly on the new metro, but who, by George, sang the famous line - “The rain in Spain stays ...”?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
You Give Me Faron Young Four In The Morning
It’s four in the morning. What’s that noise? It’s not a normal noise. It’s the noise of machinery, throaty peeping horns, raised voices. Bleary-eyed, one staggers onto the upper terrace. Yellow lights, man with luminous pointer and jacket, talking into a two-way. Further down the carretera more yellow lights - they approach slowly and eerily out of the night’s darkness.
They are resurfacing the carretera from Can Picafort to the bridge in Playa de Muro. At four in the morning. Sensible, in a way, unless one wants to sleep.
The smell of tarmac being laid obliterates that of the usual drift of gas from Albufera, a truck appears with another chap in a luminous jacket who is placing cones. Everywhere, the orangey-yellow flashes light up the night. The heavy machine lumbers slowly, depositing its steaming goo, the vapours a mist unlike the more common autumnal one that creeps across the wetlands.
Five in the morning. Six in the morning. Then it is quiet. Until tonight.
Can’t complain really, the resurfacing is badly needed. But ...
Statistics update. August. Well, the Balearics had the the highest hotel occupancy rate for the various parts of Spain (which surely isn’t that surprising). But the overall numbers were in fact down, in Mallorca by almost 2%. So, not such a record year, perhaps. Or maybe it was.
And. More rain about. We wait with some amusement for more stories of the flooded metro. Meantime, the political name-calling has started. It’s all the fault of the former government of the Partido Popular, allegedly. What about the firms who actually constructed it though?
QUIZ
Yesterday. Quite appropriately for somewhere with an ETA (Elvis tribute act) fixation, it was Elvis, though personally I’d go for ZZ Top. Today - “Four In The Morning” was Faron Young. But who gave us today’s title?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
They are resurfacing the carretera from Can Picafort to the bridge in Playa de Muro. At four in the morning. Sensible, in a way, unless one wants to sleep.
The smell of tarmac being laid obliterates that of the usual drift of gas from Albufera, a truck appears with another chap in a luminous jacket who is placing cones. Everywhere, the orangey-yellow flashes light up the night. The heavy machine lumbers slowly, depositing its steaming goo, the vapours a mist unlike the more common autumnal one that creeps across the wetlands.
Five in the morning. Six in the morning. Then it is quiet. Until tonight.
Can’t complain really, the resurfacing is badly needed. But ...
Statistics update. August. Well, the Balearics had the the highest hotel occupancy rate for the various parts of Spain (which surely isn’t that surprising). But the overall numbers were in fact down, in Mallorca by almost 2%. So, not such a record year, perhaps. Or maybe it was.
And. More rain about. We wait with some amusement for more stories of the flooded metro. Meantime, the political name-calling has started. It’s all the fault of the former government of the Partido Popular, allegedly. What about the firms who actually constructed it though?
QUIZ
Yesterday. Quite appropriately for somewhere with an ETA (Elvis tribute act) fixation, it was Elvis, though personally I’d go for ZZ Top. Today - “Four In The Morning” was Faron Young. But who gave us today’s title?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Money, Money, Money!
Daft or what?
It has been known for this blog to present tourism statistics. It has also been known for the rip to be taken out of these statistics. So, here are some more.
For the first five months of this year, tourist spend increased by 1.1 per cent. Moreover, the average spend was 809 euros, a fall of 0.1% on the same period last year.
Well, I am impressed. You probably won’t be. This stuff comes from our old mates at “The Bulletin”, so thanks to them. But what is unclear is what the spend is per tourist. The 809 euros figure is for tourist visit. Does that mean family, one person, or what? The length of stay is also an issue.
I suppose it’s pretty academic. The word is still that tourists are spending less - at least in these parts - so you can have statistics coming out of your backside, and they’re irrelevant.
Just a linguistic point, “Bulletin”. In British English, we say per cent, not percent. Sorry, but these things matter.
Anyway, this blog doesn’t just report, it finds out. So, I’ve been on the Net, looking at forums. This is, as ever, highly unscientific, but here are a couple of comments:
“We never spend more than €500 in a week in Spain even when we stay half board.”
“I’m going AI for 1 week with my boyfriend and we are taking 500 euros between us.”
And then if you consider comments which relate to spending on cigarettes (and you want to stand in a tobacconists to see the wads that get handed over), you start to form a picture. People are seemingly spending less on restaurants (not necessarily on bars), are relying on the board arrangements, be they half-board or all-inclusive, and using the spare cash for fags and the odd excursion.
Unscientific, but indicative.
Quiz: The title from yesterday was adapted from “Selling England By The Pound”. Genesis. Again. Sorry about that. Don’t know why they keep muscling in here. Today’s title? Very easy. Who sang it?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
It has been known for this blog to present tourism statistics. It has also been known for the rip to be taken out of these statistics. So, here are some more.
For the first five months of this year, tourist spend increased by 1.1 per cent. Moreover, the average spend was 809 euros, a fall of 0.1% on the same period last year.
Well, I am impressed. You probably won’t be. This stuff comes from our old mates at “The Bulletin”, so thanks to them. But what is unclear is what the spend is per tourist. The 809 euros figure is for tourist visit. Does that mean family, one person, or what? The length of stay is also an issue.
I suppose it’s pretty academic. The word is still that tourists are spending less - at least in these parts - so you can have statistics coming out of your backside, and they’re irrelevant.
Just a linguistic point, “Bulletin”. In British English, we say per cent, not percent. Sorry, but these things matter.
Anyway, this blog doesn’t just report, it finds out. So, I’ve been on the Net, looking at forums. This is, as ever, highly unscientific, but here are a couple of comments:
“We never spend more than €500 in a week in Spain even when we stay half board.”
“I’m going AI for 1 week with my boyfriend and we are taking 500 euros between us.”
And then if you consider comments which relate to spending on cigarettes (and you want to stand in a tobacconists to see the wads that get handed over), you start to form a picture. People are seemingly spending less on restaurants (not necessarily on bars), are relying on the board arrangements, be they half-board or all-inclusive, and using the spare cash for fags and the odd excursion.
Unscientific, but indicative.
Quiz: The title from yesterday was adapted from “Selling England By The Pound”. Genesis. Again. Sorry about that. Don’t know why they keep muscling in here. Today’s title? Very easy. Who sang it?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Things Can Only Get Better
Well, hopefully. Word is things are not too great this season. There again, you hear this every year. Someone said it’s 30% down. There are complaints of lack of people and especially lack of spend. We have been here before. Last year, to be precise. That was a record year, allegedly.
All-inclusives are the devil in all this, but there are other factors. And people are being more careful with the money. Why? Debt, that’s why.
Another departure from Estate Agent Street in Puerto Pollensa. Barnard Hamilton’s office has closed. But this is a positive closure. The new one is at the start of the pinewalk. And very impressive it is, too. Very impressive.
A letter to “The Bulletin” sheds some light on the resurfacing of roads. Apparently it has to be done when the weather’s hot - for technical reasons that I don’t need to bother you with. I had kind of thought this might be a factor. Except. Why then do they surface roads when it isn’t hot? Confused? You soon will be.
Which brings me to the quiz. That last line came from a very famous sitcom. What was it? Also, in recognition of Tone’s departure and Gord’s ascent, I’ve wheeled out today’s title. No prizes for knowing D:Ream, but who was number one when Tone became PM first time round. Was it Oasis, R. Kelly or The Spice Girls?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
All-inclusives are the devil in all this, but there are other factors. And people are being more careful with the money. Why? Debt, that’s why.
Another departure from Estate Agent Street in Puerto Pollensa. Barnard Hamilton’s office has closed. But this is a positive closure. The new one is at the start of the pinewalk. And very impressive it is, too. Very impressive.
A letter to “The Bulletin” sheds some light on the resurfacing of roads. Apparently it has to be done when the weather’s hot - for technical reasons that I don’t need to bother you with. I had kind of thought this might be a factor. Except. Why then do they surface roads when it isn’t hot? Confused? You soon will be.
Which brings me to the quiz. That last line came from a very famous sitcom. What was it? Also, in recognition of Tone’s departure and Gord’s ascent, I’ve wheeled out today’s title. No prizes for knowing D:Ream, but who was number one when Tone became PM first time round. Was it Oasis, R. Kelly or The Spice Girls?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, May 25, 2007
Cough, Cough
A few days ago I got an email from Ben, he of the Piccadilly site that is linked here. The gist of this was, what’s the deal with smoking nowadays since the introduction of smoking restrictions some 18 months or so back.
Anyone in England, coming to terms with the rigorous anti-smoking laws in public places, might well ask what restrictions. Setting aside the confusion of the Balearics applying a different interpretation to the mainland, the basics of the law are these:
Any bar/restaurant over 100 square metres must have separate smoking and no-smoking areas.
Any bar/restaurant of less than 100 square metres can opt to be smoking or non-smoking.
Overwhelmingly the smaller establishments have opted to remain smoking zones. In larger establishments, the separate areas are a joke as physical barriers are barely in evidence. But moreover, the policing of all this has been pretty woolly. “The Bulletin” today has a good article about this (you see, I can praise it sometimes!). It quotes findings from the Spanish consumers’ association which reveal that a “blind eye” is often turned towards the issue, while a request for information on fines from the country’s autonomous regions drew only four (out of 17) fully completed answers.
The fact is that the anti-smoking laws here are totally inadequate. England’s (and Ireland’s and Scotland’s) may seem draconian, but perhaps they are necessary. That said, there’s something to applaud in the fact that Spain doesn’t go too far in proscribing what people can or cannot do, and where. Though the other side of this coin is that I still feel the tobacco sale law verges on the iniquitous (in the sense of a functioning free market) in creating a form of monopoly whereby bulk purchases of tobacco are only possible through the limited number of licensed tobacconists.
The season had a stuttering start in April. But now hotel occupations have grown, and the prediction of an even better year than 2006 may yet prove to be accurate. Again quoting from “The Bulletin”, the MD of one tourist group is praising the efforts of the Balearic Government and Tourism Ministry for the promotional strategy which is bearing fruit. Well, good for them. And I suppose this praise has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact the elections take place on Sunday.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Anyone in England, coming to terms with the rigorous anti-smoking laws in public places, might well ask what restrictions. Setting aside the confusion of the Balearics applying a different interpretation to the mainland, the basics of the law are these:
Any bar/restaurant over 100 square metres must have separate smoking and no-smoking areas.
Any bar/restaurant of less than 100 square metres can opt to be smoking or non-smoking.
Overwhelmingly the smaller establishments have opted to remain smoking zones. In larger establishments, the separate areas are a joke as physical barriers are barely in evidence. But moreover, the policing of all this has been pretty woolly. “The Bulletin” today has a good article about this (you see, I can praise it sometimes!). It quotes findings from the Spanish consumers’ association which reveal that a “blind eye” is often turned towards the issue, while a request for information on fines from the country’s autonomous regions drew only four (out of 17) fully completed answers.
The fact is that the anti-smoking laws here are totally inadequate. England’s (and Ireland’s and Scotland’s) may seem draconian, but perhaps they are necessary. That said, there’s something to applaud in the fact that Spain doesn’t go too far in proscribing what people can or cannot do, and where. Though the other side of this coin is that I still feel the tobacco sale law verges on the iniquitous (in the sense of a functioning free market) in creating a form of monopoly whereby bulk purchases of tobacco are only possible through the limited number of licensed tobacconists.
The season had a stuttering start in April. But now hotel occupations have grown, and the prediction of an even better year than 2006 may yet prove to be accurate. Again quoting from “The Bulletin”, the MD of one tourist group is praising the efforts of the Balearic Government and Tourism Ministry for the promotional strategy which is bearing fruit. Well, good for them. And I suppose this praise has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact the elections take place on Sunday.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Monday, May 21, 2007
Street Life
Remarkable what you find in the street.
I’m not talking the what was quarter-full plastic bottle of Coke in a bag that was conveniently left under my car and the contents of which (the bottle that is, not the car) were sprayed into my neighbour’s garden by the force of a too rapidly reversing several hundredweight or so of Nissan. No, I’m talking the My Travel schedule of arrivals from Leeds-Bradford, replete with a dirty great tyre mark. What, I thought, were those sheets of stapled A4 littering up the pavement?
Cracking stuff that's what, though mercifully without home addresses, as I could have otherwise faxed a copy to my old acquaintance in Pudsey, Arthur “Lightfingers” Lightfoot, and recommended he got his jemmy and glass-cutting equipment out of the attic and gone on a bit of a night tour of the West Riding.
Still, you can’t have everything. But the sheets make interesting reading.
Which hotel in the whole of Mallorca is the most popular with this - admittedly limited - sample of northern sorts? Answer: the Sol Alcudia Centre. 17 of them. Lagomonte comes second, with Alcudia’s dominance only challenged by 10 heading off to the Bouganvilla Park in Sa Coma. Indeed Alcúdia is by some way the destination of choice for Tykes. Puerto Pollensa gets a measly eight, all of them in the Oro Playa. Not even Magalluf can apparently compare with Alcúdia when it comes to the affection of the White Rose.
Fascinating, I’m sure you’ll all agree. In future, perhaps My Travel (and Thomson, Thomas Cook etc). might just email me the lists so I don’t have to pick them up from the street. You don’t know where they’ve been. The email address is below.
Streets, roads. Roads, streets. Here we go again with the daftness that is the remodelled Carretera Arta. Now, the traffic has undoubtedly been slowed down. That’s the good thing. But one of the benefits that was alleged for the changes to the road, prior to their being done, was that they would aid the circulation of traffic. Wrong.
By high summer in past years there has always been a queue going towards the junction with the Greasy Mile. Now the queue can extend back almost as far as Eroski Syp. There always were lights here, but now they seem to be more frequently on red. Thing is it is only May. It’ll be murder by August, murder when it’s really hot and drivers are getting fractious, murder when drivers use the side-roads and try and jump the queues. Best advice is to just avoid the road completely.
A while since the Pop Quiz. But it’s back. Today’s title. Who sang it? And with which band did she record it?
(PLEASE REPLY TO info@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
I’m not talking the what was quarter-full plastic bottle of Coke in a bag that was conveniently left under my car and the contents of which (the bottle that is, not the car) were sprayed into my neighbour’s garden by the force of a too rapidly reversing several hundredweight or so of Nissan. No, I’m talking the My Travel schedule of arrivals from Leeds-Bradford, replete with a dirty great tyre mark. What, I thought, were those sheets of stapled A4 littering up the pavement?
Cracking stuff that's what, though mercifully without home addresses, as I could have otherwise faxed a copy to my old acquaintance in Pudsey, Arthur “Lightfingers” Lightfoot, and recommended he got his jemmy and glass-cutting equipment out of the attic and gone on a bit of a night tour of the West Riding.
Still, you can’t have everything. But the sheets make interesting reading.
Which hotel in the whole of Mallorca is the most popular with this - admittedly limited - sample of northern sorts? Answer: the Sol Alcudia Centre. 17 of them. Lagomonte comes second, with Alcudia’s dominance only challenged by 10 heading off to the Bouganvilla Park in Sa Coma. Indeed Alcúdia is by some way the destination of choice for Tykes. Puerto Pollensa gets a measly eight, all of them in the Oro Playa. Not even Magalluf can apparently compare with Alcúdia when it comes to the affection of the White Rose.
Fascinating, I’m sure you’ll all agree. In future, perhaps My Travel (and Thomson, Thomas Cook etc). might just email me the lists so I don’t have to pick them up from the street. You don’t know where they’ve been. The email address is below.
Streets, roads. Roads, streets. Here we go again with the daftness that is the remodelled Carretera Arta. Now, the traffic has undoubtedly been slowed down. That’s the good thing. But one of the benefits that was alleged for the changes to the road, prior to their being done, was that they would aid the circulation of traffic. Wrong.
By high summer in past years there has always been a queue going towards the junction with the Greasy Mile. Now the queue can extend back almost as far as Eroski Syp. There always were lights here, but now they seem to be more frequently on red. Thing is it is only May. It’ll be murder by August, murder when it’s really hot and drivers are getting fractious, murder when drivers use the side-roads and try and jump the queues. Best advice is to just avoid the road completely.
A while since the Pop Quiz. But it’s back. Today’s title. Who sang it? And with which band did she record it?
(PLEASE REPLY TO info@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
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