Tourist Days For A Cynical Tourism Industry

In 1964, responding to an order by the ministry of information and tourism, hotels (all of them it would appear) in resorts in the Balearics undertook a day of celebration. It was known as the Day of the Tourist.

Back then, orders were given. They were not, as a rule, disobeyed. If the ministry of information and tourism, by then under the command of Manuel Fraga, said that there would be a day of the tourist, then a day of the tourist there most certainly would be and everyone was expected to play a part. There was little chance to put in a sick note and try and avoid it. And this day of the tourist was to be one when everyone was happy and jolly. That was an order.

I have been unable to find much information about this inaugural tourist day. It took place, almost certainly, in September. The tourist day in 1965 did; the ninth of September to be precise. The cover of its brochure featured three white hibiscus flowers against splashes of reds, yellows, greens and blues and the back cover had a cartoon tourist. I assume he was meant to be British. He was lifting his sombrero in greeting, he had a pipe in his mouth and a battered suitcase. This was the tourist of 1965, one for whom the day was intended and one for whom the day would be fun, happy and jolly. By order of the national government.

Tourist days are odd affairs. In the days of early tourism under Franco, when Mallorca was only just coming to terms with the influx of the masses, the order from the information and tourism ministry was that of statist control. It was a case of you will rather than would you. There may genuinely have been the notion of expressing goodwill and gratitude, but the control nature of these first tourist days contained the unmistakable stamp and atmosphere of authoritarianism. The tourist day was designed to enforce a message on Mallorca's society, in case people needed reminding by then, that this tourism malarkey was how they were going to live from now on. It was less, therefore, an acknowledgement of tourists themselves.

By 1968, the tourist day was held on 25 September. The poster for the day shows three women in traditional dress standing on rocks amidst a blue sea. The women have their arms open. They were either singing or opening their arms in welcome, or both. What is interesting about this particular tourist day is that it was moved to later in September with the objective of prolonging the tourist season at least until the end of the month.

This in itself was a strange thing. As the objective was as it was, had they expected tourists to come specifically for the "day"? It was probably just to show that the tourism season went on well beyond August or the first week or so of September, but if so, it goes to show that in the 1960s there was a concern about the shortness of the season.

The World Tourism Day is at the end of September, but Alcúdia celebrates its own tourist day at the end of August. It took place yesterday. It used to be in September at the same time as the original tourist days were staged (well, the one in 1965 at any rate), but it has only been going since 2008, the result of an initiative by the then tourism councillor at Alcúdia town hall, Sebastian Sanchez.

It is a far cry from the tourist days of the 1960s. No one is ordered, but it still feels a bit odd. Is not every day a tourist day? Perhaps so, but although no one is ordered, there is a sense that this day of celebration is similar to what used to take place in the '60s. It doesn't enforce a message but it is a reminder that tourism is the lifeblood for a town such as Alcúdia. This may never have been the intention behind it having been established in 2008, but a reminder is no bad thing.

In the 1960s there was no complacency, no taking tourists for granted. Tourism was all far too new for there to be such attitudes. There may have been an order, but there was also probably a further reason why those tourist days were created, which was to highlight the fact that tourists were different, and they certainly were different in those days; different to what many Mallorcans had experienced. The difference was captured in a comical fashion by that cartoon, but in its daftness, it also captured the innocent nature of difference.

There is no innocence in tourism today. It is too big an industry, too cynical a one for there to be. But Alcúdia at least attempts to celebrate not only the presence of tourists but its contribution to the success of Mallorca's tourism over the years as well as the benefits the town has extracted. It is a valuable reminder. Other resorts should do the same.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.

Lights Going Out And A Kick In The Balls

Follow the leader. Or something like that. No sooner has Puerto Alcúdia had its day of the tourist than Calvia is going to do likewise. 25 September and it will be a day of fun, fun, fun and thanks to the visitors who fill the coffers of Palmanova and Magalluf licensed premises. Worryingly, the whole thing is set to end with performances by groups doing "internationally known songs", to quote "The Bulletin". Sounds like more Beatlejuice to me. Whatever.

Tourist days. Sounds all well and good, but why are they taking place in September? And with this in mind, what about thanking all the other tourists? Those who will be around and who were around in Alcúdia will be and were the unwitting representatives of a whole season's tourist humanity. I hope they feel suitably honoured. But it is a bit undemocratic. Having a tourist day seems like a tautology. Every day is a tourist day during the season, is it not? One day among the 184 of the official season when the tourist is lauded; the other 183 when he is not. Are all tourist establishments to be given smile lessons and hand out "I Love Tourists" badges? And what of the ents to be staged? Where are the drink as much as you can until your head expands and projectile vomiting contests? No true day of the tourist would be complete without them. 183 days of the year they take place, so why not the 184th? What they should do is make the tourist day a national holiday, not tell any tourists and then close everything for the day. That would be more like it.

Or perhaps a tourist day should involve a good old, healthy punch-up, especially for the Brits; or at least some 12 per cent of them. "The Diario" today reports on findings from a body of the European Commission which say that this percentage was engaged in street or "places of night entertainment" scraps during 2007. It will surprise few to learn that the Brits head the league table. That 12 per cent may be a tad on the conservative side. It does not seem to include incidents that occur within the confines of hotels. Having a bundle is, for some, all part of the holiday experience and entertainment - "lights going out and a kick in the balls".

The fisherman's fair in Puerto Pollensa that occurred over the weekend, decreed a success, would probably not have attracted many who prefer a touch of violence to some samples of Mallorcan produce and gastronomy. Ostensibly a fair to celebrate all things sea-going, this event also embraces the land, in the form of information regarding things such as honey and almonds as well as "show cooking" of different dishes. The fair takes its place alongside others on the island which do similar; all part of a hoped-for spin-off into a different form of tourism.

"Show cooking" is something one stumbles across quite a bit here. There is a place in Puerto Alcúdia, for example, that advertises itself as a show cooking location. The restaurant, Pippers, shows off a grill and the cooking of meat. The term appears to be a translation of "muestra" ("mostra" in Catalan), to mean show or demonstration. As such, it has crept into general usage and has moved away from the mere sense of a demonstration to become a "show" - the preparation of a meal as a spectacular, if you like. But also as such, although the individual words - show and cooking - are clearly understandable, the concept may not be. The anglicisation as a promotional device may, ironically, make sense to the Spanish but may mean less to the Brit, or indeed other nationalities. Expect, therefore, there to be more and more restaurants engaging in it.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Undertones. Today's title - this has been a question before; well worthy of repetition though; where's it from?

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