I was out on the hunt for information again yesterday. What I wanted to know about had to do with the watchtowers that are dotted along the coastline and the background to sculptures on roundabouts. Why would I want to know this? Because the information could form further articles for this newspaper thing. And because no information seems to exist, well not in any detailed form.
First stop, the Playa de Muro tourist office and the ever-helpful Cati. The towers, she thought, stemmed from the Civil War, which sounds right but I had an idea that they were older. There's a historian chappy at Muro town hall apparently. So she phoned him up. I'm waiting to collect the info he's going to provide. He said that the towers do indeed pre-date the war, but that was about as far as I got for the time being. What I was also told was that questions about the watchtowers are not uncommon, as in tourists ask about them, which did rather make me wonder why there isn't anything that gives their history. The towers seem, to me, and have long seemed like an obvious subject of interest, and yet they have been ignored where it comes to information provision. In Playa de Muro, other than Albufera, there isn't exactly much by way of "attractions". Except for the towers.
As for the roundabout sculptures, there was an explanation as to their "symbolism", which will be largely obvious, assuming you know what they represent, such as the tangle of eels by Albufera. But there was also some confusion as to sculptures outside of Muro, such as the one in Puerto Alcúdia. What is it? A horse, I said. Even other tourist offices don't know what it's supposed to be.
Second stop, the tourist office in the port of Alcúdia and the ever-helpful Cristina. These roundabout sculptures, I asked. The two famous ones are in fact included in a leaflet produced by the town hall, though the information is only very brief. The linkin' donuts one, that on the Magic roundabout; when was it put there for example? She wasn't sure. Why did I want to know? Well because people like to know this sort of thing, don't they?
Coming back to the watchtowers, I was told that they were "faros" (lighthouses). "Faros?" No. Surely not. During wars, you wouldn't light up beacons to guide ships in or away, unless, I suppose, you did want to guide them in and then take a pop at them. I would be most surprised if they were ever lighthouses, except possibly that they, at some point, doubled up as such during peaceful times.
How do you find out more information? That's when you run up against uncertainty. Do you talk to the heritage departments at the town halls? Or to the Council of Mallorca, given that the sculptures appear on main-road roundabouts? And if the latter, then who do you contact? There is nothing on the Council's website, for example, which leads you to information about roundabout sculptures.
I don't want to be critical, especially as the tourist offices are always helpful, but it seems a little odd that they are not themselves better informed. However, maybe this is understandable, because the tourist offices, like the whole tourism authority set-up on the island, are geared to a kind-of top-down information provision, that of what it has been determined that tourists should be told about - food, produce, historic buildings, walks and so on. But no one, it seems to me, has stopped to think about the curios - the watchtowers, the sculptures; the very things that can startle a visitor because they are a bit weird. The tall Dalek-pronged towers, the incomprehensible horse, if it is indeed a horse. Why are they there? How did they get there? When did they get there? Who put them there? The questions are very simple. But the answers are far from being so.
The season about to kick in, let's re-introduce a previous theme but with the emphasis on "holiday" in music, in whatever form. An irregular item no doubt, but here is the brilliant Chambao, "Ahí Estás Tú" (otherwise known as the Andalucia advert song). Not Mallorca, but who cares:
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Showing posts with label Tourist information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tourist information. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Streets Of Your Town
As promised, more on the tourist offices being out of touch. Perhaps I should define what I mean here. By out of touch, the tourism people don't know what the tourist really experiences or thinks. It's not altogether surprising. The main contacts between the tourist and the tourism department take place in the tourist office, a place of information gathering by the tourist rather than one of investigation or information probing by the tourist authorities. Apart from this, there is no real contact. Well as though some of the people in the tourist offices may speak different languages, these offices are not necessarily conducive to some lengthy discussion regarding what the tourist really thinks about a place or what he is concerned about. In Puerto Pollensa, I have seen a questionnaire knocking around, but how much this is acted upon I don't know. Surveys can often act as cosmetic exercises.
But to come to Alcúdia. I have spoken with the town hall, in the form of the tourism department, about things like the scratch-card operations, about the state of the bridges and canals and about drugs. Let's take the latter. It came as something of a surprise that the lucky-lucky men are a front-line conduit for the sale of Class-A and other drugs. Yet, anyone who knows, knows that drugs are available from them, and have been for the last ten years; perhaps longer. Puerto Pollensa is not much different. The tourist officials do not know what goes on on the streets of their towns; well in Alcúdia anyway. Moreover, there is no monitoring system of what is said, for instance about Alcúdia. That letter to "The Bulletin" about the scratch-card operations. How did the town hall get to know about it? How do you think?
There is a mass of information about what tourists think about a place, be it Alcúdia, Pollensa, wherever. A mass of it on the internet, and yet there is no systematic observation of this by the tourist offices. Partly perhaps it's a language issue, but only partly. They can find native speakers easily enough if they have the will. You may ask, well why should they go looking for this information. For one very good reason. That is their business - tourists. To overlook the information diminishes the public relations aspect of their work. Commercial businesses some years ago established complaints management systems; complaints are one of the best sources of finding out what a consumer really thinks. And acting upon them is one of the best ways of creating good PR. Even without a formal complaints (or praise) management system, the tourist offices should be delving into all those forums and sites in which people discuss anything from mosquitoes to hotels to scratch cards to the price of a beer. This all matters, or it should do.
One fancies that the town halls might be a bit taken aback were they to see what is said about their resorts; they would also be pleased by much of it as well. But the ease with which people can post pretty much what they like about a resort should be something for which there is, at least, a monitoring capability. Most review sites are remote; they don't have a particular interest in any resort in whatever country. They exist for sounding-off and compliment in not necessarily equal measure. And so much information, much of it mis-information, flies around the internet unchallenged and unknown to the tourist authorities. One almost wonders if they haven't deferred to the websites, but only when there is local representation, such as with myself or with Martin at the estimable puertopollensa.com, might they get some on-the-ground feedback.
There is a distance between the town and the resort and the tourist. The hotel often takes the surrogate role of the town, and for this reason the hotel has a responsibility to the town in which it is located; it is the resort's representative, or it should be. But more often than not, it is not. The hotel is a business, first and foremost; its local community responsibility, and it's the same for the tour operators, may not be the first thing on its agenda, if at all.
I have a suggestion. In Alcúdia, they are willing to spend money on what are little more than prestige services - the beach WiFi zone is one. Useful it may be, but there are different ways in which the tourist can be served. Different cost category granted but cost nonetheless; take some of this money that goes on the prestigious and some of the money that is wasted on things like the Can Ramis debacle, and create an on-street tourism patrol. On foot, not on scooters. Walking. Teams of two, clearly identifiable, along the Mile, around the port, on the beach. Tourism help and assistance teams. Preferably, these teams would be people who know ... know what is going on. Not police but with easy communications to the police. Not there to shop people or bars or those whose sound limiters might be a bit wonky, but to assist the tourist and be the visible sign of the resort - on the streets. In part, this idea comes from my own experience with those who see the t-shirt (for the website) and stop and ask.
Public relations, close contact to the tourist and therefore to the consumer, for that is what the tourist is - he is a consumer of the resort. He deserves more.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - By hook or by crook; it was "The Prisoner". Today's title - one of this blog's favourites; Australian from the late '80s.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
But to come to Alcúdia. I have spoken with the town hall, in the form of the tourism department, about things like the scratch-card operations, about the state of the bridges and canals and about drugs. Let's take the latter. It came as something of a surprise that the lucky-lucky men are a front-line conduit for the sale of Class-A and other drugs. Yet, anyone who knows, knows that drugs are available from them, and have been for the last ten years; perhaps longer. Puerto Pollensa is not much different. The tourist officials do not know what goes on on the streets of their towns; well in Alcúdia anyway. Moreover, there is no monitoring system of what is said, for instance about Alcúdia. That letter to "The Bulletin" about the scratch-card operations. How did the town hall get to know about it? How do you think?
There is a mass of information about what tourists think about a place, be it Alcúdia, Pollensa, wherever. A mass of it on the internet, and yet there is no systematic observation of this by the tourist offices. Partly perhaps it's a language issue, but only partly. They can find native speakers easily enough if they have the will. You may ask, well why should they go looking for this information. For one very good reason. That is their business - tourists. To overlook the information diminishes the public relations aspect of their work. Commercial businesses some years ago established complaints management systems; complaints are one of the best sources of finding out what a consumer really thinks. And acting upon them is one of the best ways of creating good PR. Even without a formal complaints (or praise) management system, the tourist offices should be delving into all those forums and sites in which people discuss anything from mosquitoes to hotels to scratch cards to the price of a beer. This all matters, or it should do.
One fancies that the town halls might be a bit taken aback were they to see what is said about their resorts; they would also be pleased by much of it as well. But the ease with which people can post pretty much what they like about a resort should be something for which there is, at least, a monitoring capability. Most review sites are remote; they don't have a particular interest in any resort in whatever country. They exist for sounding-off and compliment in not necessarily equal measure. And so much information, much of it mis-information, flies around the internet unchallenged and unknown to the tourist authorities. One almost wonders if they haven't deferred to the websites, but only when there is local representation, such as with myself or with Martin at the estimable puertopollensa.com, might they get some on-the-ground feedback.
There is a distance between the town and the resort and the tourist. The hotel often takes the surrogate role of the town, and for this reason the hotel has a responsibility to the town in which it is located; it is the resort's representative, or it should be. But more often than not, it is not. The hotel is a business, first and foremost; its local community responsibility, and it's the same for the tour operators, may not be the first thing on its agenda, if at all.
I have a suggestion. In Alcúdia, they are willing to spend money on what are little more than prestige services - the beach WiFi zone is one. Useful it may be, but there are different ways in which the tourist can be served. Different cost category granted but cost nonetheless; take some of this money that goes on the prestigious and some of the money that is wasted on things like the Can Ramis debacle, and create an on-street tourism patrol. On foot, not on scooters. Walking. Teams of two, clearly identifiable, along the Mile, around the port, on the beach. Tourism help and assistance teams. Preferably, these teams would be people who know ... know what is going on. Not police but with easy communications to the police. Not there to shop people or bars or those whose sound limiters might be a bit wonky, but to assist the tourist and be the visible sign of the resort - on the streets. In part, this idea comes from my own experience with those who see the t-shirt (for the website) and stop and ask.
Public relations, close contact to the tourist and therefore to the consumer, for that is what the tourist is - he is a consumer of the resort. He deserves more.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - By hook or by crook; it was "The Prisoner". Today's title - one of this blog's favourites; Australian from the late '80s.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Do You Know The Way To ...?
I ought to invoice Alcúdia town hall. Not that it would get me very far. Like it would not get bars and shops and the rest very far. There are the official tourist information offices and then there are the unofficial ones. I say Alcúdia, rather than Pollensa or Santa Margalida (Can Picafort), because I tend to be in Alcúdia more, and there is also the question of the "uniform", the one I have for Alcúdia and haven't quite got round to replicating for the other centres. Though there have been some comments about the red trim on the shorts, the "uniform" is basically yellow and black. My upper body stands out like a beacon with the black of www.thealcudiaguide.com shouting at passers-by from my back. I am outdoor advertising. I am advertising in motion, except when I am sitting down, which is as often as I can make it given the heat.
But this all comes at a price, in the sense that the uniform attracts questions. "Excuse me, can you tell me where ...?" The oddest, thus far, was the lady at the Viva Sunrise who wanted some help for her little girl whose henna tattoo had gone a bit awry. I am mobile medical advice as well.
I am though just one of many who dispense tourist information. In certain cases, it is probably as well. Take Can Picafort. The tourist information office is located in a sort of no-tourist's land between the main part of Can Pic and Son Bauló. You could be forgiven for not noticing it as it looks like it's the Guardia Civil, which is the next door. The office in the old town of Alcúdia doesn't necessarily stand out either. People find it eventually, but often having been into the town hall in a fruitless search. Life will be easier, one assumes, if the Can Ramis thing ever finally gets built by the market square as that is where the tourist office will be located.
The paseo (promenade) offices are the most prominent, and Puerto Pollensa's takes the accolade for most tourist-friendly in that not only is it perfectly located next to the bus stop and taxis it also allows for browsing, which the one in Puerto Alcúdia does not. It used to be browsable, but now the back door remains firmly off-limits. I don't really know why.
What one can't fault, at least in my experience when I have witnessed tourist-office encounters, is the help. Playa de Muro's is a good case in point. Cati is supremely attentive, and I say this without suggesting the other offices are not. And it's not the case that this office is not particularly busy; it does, after all, double as Muro town hall's sub-office. And then there are the offices who if they can't give an answer, look to find out, which is where my unofficial role comes in again. Puerto Alcúdia's Mile office has been known to ring my mobile in search of such-and-such a place.
To return to bars and hotels and the like though, they play a far from insignificant tourist-information role. It would make an interesting survey to find out what sources tourists use, when in situ on holiday here, to get information. The tourist-information offices keep statistics on their traffic, and categorise this by nationality. If the numbers are not looking that high, this might be construed as being a reflection of lack of tourists or lack of interest. But perhaps it means that the local bar is doing the job just as effectively. Which brings me to what the unofficial sources get to aid their unofficial tourist-information roles. Not a lot, from the town halls at any rate, if Alcúdia is typical. Take maps, the town hall's maps of the town. I quite understand that these are copyright and that they cost money to print, but is there not some way that bars etc. can have them without having to pay for them? Because that is the situation. And yet these bars and others are regularly fielding questions of the where is and do you know the way varieties.
Some sad news. Those who know Bar Bamboo in Puerto Alcúdia from the past will also know Eric Mercer. He has passed away. I know there are people who have been very grateful to Eric in the past for his help and that he will be sadly missed. Deepest sympathies go to Angela.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Helen Shapiro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtybZggplNY). Today's title - the place name's missing, but who was this? Been here not so long ago.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
But this all comes at a price, in the sense that the uniform attracts questions. "Excuse me, can you tell me where ...?" The oddest, thus far, was the lady at the Viva Sunrise who wanted some help for her little girl whose henna tattoo had gone a bit awry. I am mobile medical advice as well.
I am though just one of many who dispense tourist information. In certain cases, it is probably as well. Take Can Picafort. The tourist information office is located in a sort of no-tourist's land between the main part of Can Pic and Son Bauló. You could be forgiven for not noticing it as it looks like it's the Guardia Civil, which is the next door. The office in the old town of Alcúdia doesn't necessarily stand out either. People find it eventually, but often having been into the town hall in a fruitless search. Life will be easier, one assumes, if the Can Ramis thing ever finally gets built by the market square as that is where the tourist office will be located.
The paseo (promenade) offices are the most prominent, and Puerto Pollensa's takes the accolade for most tourist-friendly in that not only is it perfectly located next to the bus stop and taxis it also allows for browsing, which the one in Puerto Alcúdia does not. It used to be browsable, but now the back door remains firmly off-limits. I don't really know why.
What one can't fault, at least in my experience when I have witnessed tourist-office encounters, is the help. Playa de Muro's is a good case in point. Cati is supremely attentive, and I say this without suggesting the other offices are not. And it's not the case that this office is not particularly busy; it does, after all, double as Muro town hall's sub-office. And then there are the offices who if they can't give an answer, look to find out, which is where my unofficial role comes in again. Puerto Alcúdia's Mile office has been known to ring my mobile in search of such-and-such a place.
To return to bars and hotels and the like though, they play a far from insignificant tourist-information role. It would make an interesting survey to find out what sources tourists use, when in situ on holiday here, to get information. The tourist-information offices keep statistics on their traffic, and categorise this by nationality. If the numbers are not looking that high, this might be construed as being a reflection of lack of tourists or lack of interest. But perhaps it means that the local bar is doing the job just as effectively. Which brings me to what the unofficial sources get to aid their unofficial tourist-information roles. Not a lot, from the town halls at any rate, if Alcúdia is typical. Take maps, the town hall's maps of the town. I quite understand that these are copyright and that they cost money to print, but is there not some way that bars etc. can have them without having to pay for them? Because that is the situation. And yet these bars and others are regularly fielding questions of the where is and do you know the way varieties.
Some sad news. Those who know Bar Bamboo in Puerto Alcúdia from the past will also know Eric Mercer. He has passed away. I know there are people who have been very grateful to Eric in the past for his help and that he will be sadly missed. Deepest sympathies go to Angela.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Helen Shapiro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtybZggplNY). Today's title - the place name's missing, but who was this? Been here not so long ago.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
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