Because Pollensa town hall dealt with the ministry of agriculture rather than the Council of Mallorca, which apparently it should have, a grant to build a processing centre for lamb raised by the local farmers' co-operative looks like not being forthcoming and will set back construction by at least six months.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
Thursday, November 22, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Losses of over 50 million euros because of car-hire tax
The national car-hire association is cranking up its campaign against the Balearic Government's tax on hire cars, suggesting that its introduction will result in a loss to the car-hire sector in the Balearics of 54 million euros in 2013.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Mallorcan wine PGI leads to good sales
The protected geographical indication (PGI) mark that applies to certain wines in Mallorca led in 2010-2011 to Mallorcan wines having the third highest sales among Spanish wines.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Judge dismisses union leader's "fascist" charge
President Bauzá, who had brought a case against UGT leader Lorenzo Bravo for calling him a "fascist", has lost the case. The judge has ruled that the insult did not impugn the president's honour and that it represented freedom of expression.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
Smelling Rats: Deer's balls and Artur Mas
There's a smell around. It's a not unfamiliar one. It's the smells of rats. I smell rats. At least two of them. One rat is a rat that isn't a deer, the smell of the other rat has wafted across from Catalonia.
I don't know what to make of the Delgado photos. In that, I don't know why they have appeared when they have, i.e. now. Their appearance may simply be because they were delivered to the press out of the blue. Possibly. But the press tend to have these things hanging around, waiting for an opportune moment. As I suggested yesterday, coming so soon after the Bosch-Company diving affair, there is a hint of more than mere coincidence. Not that I don't take great delight in the Partido Popular thrashing around in embarrassment - I do - but when photos of the type that embarrass Delgado and the PP are as old as they are (at least eighteen months), it is very reasonable to ask why now and to wonder if they have indeed just turned up out of the blue.
The photos have gone international. The "Daily Mail" has featured them, reiterating the bad image line that the local press has hammered home and provoking not untypical, British readership Spain-is barbaric-and-cruel-to-animals comments. The "it-sets-back-animal-rights" argument that is being trotted out locally is one of righteous indignation without any pause to raise the question of the timing. It is an argument that is also wrong. It sets animal rights forward. A photo of a stupid politician with a deer's balls on his head should work far greater wonders in shifting Spanish opinion than any demo outside a bullfight.
Delgado should be congratulated for making an idiot of himself and for promoting animal rights. He should also be congratulated, and of course all the righteousness entirely misses this point, for providing one of the most hilarious examples of politician berkdom that one is ever likely to encounter, even in a country blessed with as many capable of such berkdom as Spain has. The image with the balls on his head is one destined no doubt for "Have I Got News For You" or a similar show; it is a comedian and satirist's dream. It might be one that means Spain (or more accurately, Mallorca) being poked fun at, but Delgado is the one who should be the butt of the jokes.
While I smell a rat at the timing of the release of the photos, the smell is nothing like as strong as that coming from Catalonia. A few days ahead of the election which may give Artur Mas the mandate to possibly stage a referendum on Catalonian independence, what happens? Out of the blue comes what is said to be a police report in which Mas is implicated for taking kickbacks for public works contracts. The report is odd, as neither the prosecutor nor the judge in charge of the case into contractual wrongdoings in Catalonia appears to be aware of it. The public's attention to the existence of this report came in the right-wing "El Mundo", no great fan of Mas's independence ambitions therefore. Mas is going to sue.
Whatever the truth might be of what "El Mundo" has to say, and former president Jordi Pujol is also named by the paper and is also taking legal action, the timing has to be queried. The suspicion is of an attempt, and a possibly crude one at that, to blacken Mas's name just prior to the election.
The press is all about getting scoops. Of course it is. But I have commented before on the degree to which the media is influenced by political parties in Spain. This sort of influence is exerted elsewhere - as we know - but in Spain, it is the case that you have to consider much of what appears in the media in terms of motive. And whose motive, more to the point.
The two stories - Delgado and the deer, Mas and the alleged kickbacks - are very different. The first should be treated for what it is, the story of a politician who has provided a moment of high but warped comedy; the second, if the story proves to be without foundation (and there may be some foundation), is far more serious. Spain is a country that might fall apart because of Mas and Catalonia. It still has an immature and undeveloped sense of real democracy, one that would be enhanced by Catalonia staying where it is, i.e. inside Spain, but being a constant thorn in the state flesh to ensure that this democracy is one day truly demonstrated. But within this immaturity there is a fourth estate which has yet to demonstrate that it might genuinely one day claim to be independent. For now, too many rats can be smelt, and too often.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
I don't know what to make of the Delgado photos. In that, I don't know why they have appeared when they have, i.e. now. Their appearance may simply be because they were delivered to the press out of the blue. Possibly. But the press tend to have these things hanging around, waiting for an opportune moment. As I suggested yesterday, coming so soon after the Bosch-Company diving affair, there is a hint of more than mere coincidence. Not that I don't take great delight in the Partido Popular thrashing around in embarrassment - I do - but when photos of the type that embarrass Delgado and the PP are as old as they are (at least eighteen months), it is very reasonable to ask why now and to wonder if they have indeed just turned up out of the blue.
The photos have gone international. The "Daily Mail" has featured them, reiterating the bad image line that the local press has hammered home and provoking not untypical, British readership Spain-is barbaric-and-cruel-to-animals comments. The "it-sets-back-animal-rights" argument that is being trotted out locally is one of righteous indignation without any pause to raise the question of the timing. It is an argument that is also wrong. It sets animal rights forward. A photo of a stupid politician with a deer's balls on his head should work far greater wonders in shifting Spanish opinion than any demo outside a bullfight.
Delgado should be congratulated for making an idiot of himself and for promoting animal rights. He should also be congratulated, and of course all the righteousness entirely misses this point, for providing one of the most hilarious examples of politician berkdom that one is ever likely to encounter, even in a country blessed with as many capable of such berkdom as Spain has. The image with the balls on his head is one destined no doubt for "Have I Got News For You" or a similar show; it is a comedian and satirist's dream. It might be one that means Spain (or more accurately, Mallorca) being poked fun at, but Delgado is the one who should be the butt of the jokes.
While I smell a rat at the timing of the release of the photos, the smell is nothing like as strong as that coming from Catalonia. A few days ahead of the election which may give Artur Mas the mandate to possibly stage a referendum on Catalonian independence, what happens? Out of the blue comes what is said to be a police report in which Mas is implicated for taking kickbacks for public works contracts. The report is odd, as neither the prosecutor nor the judge in charge of the case into contractual wrongdoings in Catalonia appears to be aware of it. The public's attention to the existence of this report came in the right-wing "El Mundo", no great fan of Mas's independence ambitions therefore. Mas is going to sue.
Whatever the truth might be of what "El Mundo" has to say, and former president Jordi Pujol is also named by the paper and is also taking legal action, the timing has to be queried. The suspicion is of an attempt, and a possibly crude one at that, to blacken Mas's name just prior to the election.
The press is all about getting scoops. Of course it is. But I have commented before on the degree to which the media is influenced by political parties in Spain. This sort of influence is exerted elsewhere - as we know - but in Spain, it is the case that you have to consider much of what appears in the media in terms of motive. And whose motive, more to the point.
The two stories - Delgado and the deer, Mas and the alleged kickbacks - are very different. The first should be treated for what it is, the story of a politician who has provided a moment of high but warped comedy; the second, if the story proves to be without foundation (and there may be some foundation), is far more serious. Spain is a country that might fall apart because of Mas and Catalonia. It still has an immature and undeveloped sense of real democracy, one that would be enhanced by Catalonia staying where it is, i.e. inside Spain, but being a constant thorn in the state flesh to ensure that this democracy is one day truly demonstrated. But within this immaturity there is a fourth estate which has yet to demonstrate that it might genuinely one day claim to be independent. For now, too many rats can be smelt, and too often.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Prosecutor seeks 8.2 million euro "bail" from Urdangarin and Torres
The chief anti-corruption prosecutor is to call for a bail amounting to 8.2 million euros to be paid by the King's son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin and his former business partner Diego Torres. This is a civil bail, which means that it would not result in imprisonment were it not to be paid. The purpose of it is to cover any what are described as "civil responsibilities" arising from charges that the two face in respect of the ongoing investigation "caso Nóos".
See more: El Mundo
See more: El Mundo
MALLORCA TODAY - One of the Lluc walk barriers comes down
Ahead of the planned "reclaim" walk on 25 November along the old way between Pollensa and Lluc, the new owner of the one of the fincas on the route has taken down an automatic gate that blocked the right of way.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 21 November 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.20am): 14.5C
Forecast high: 21C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): Southwest 3 to 4 easing to variable 2 by the evening.
Largely cloudy but still fairly bright, there should be sun for some of the day but becoming cloudier still by the afternoon. Tomorrow mainly cloudy, but the weekend should be brighter.
Afternoon update (17.45): And it was mainly sunny, with a high of 21.5C.
The Deerhunter: Carlos and the cojones
Spain does have something of an issue when it comes to hunting. Because of a desire to open fire on wildlife and deprive it of life, it succeeds in conveying an impression of being less than animalistically correct. Not so long ago there was the poor old monarch taking a blunderbuss to elephants in Botswana and getting himself stripped of the title of honorary president of the Spanish branch of the World Wildlife Fund as a result. Now we have the Balearics tourism minister. Carlos Delgado went and topped a monarch of the glen and in celebration placed the deer's testicles on top of his head. The King shoots Dumbo and Carlos shoots Bambi.
It really isn't a particularly pleasant picture, the one of Carlos with the cojones: a smiling, nay euphoric Delgado, victory-V signs with both hands, blood trickling down his happy fizzog and the two veg of the stag lying on a garnish of tourism minister hair. There are certain things that I might place on my head, a cap for example, but personally I would draw the line at Bambi's bollocks. Carlos, evidently, is not quite so squeamish. I wonder where the balls are now.
As you can probably imagine, the image of the triumphant tourism minister with his testicular trophies hasn't gone down well with some people: the animal rightists, for instance. This is no image for a tourism minister to be displaying. What will people think of Mallorca if its tourism minister can shoot defenceless creatures, remove their tackle and turn it into headgear? Resign! Resign!
It isn't an especially endearing image it has to be said. But it is an image with a bit of history. It's not as if Carlos went off last week and hunted his prey. He did so when he was still mayor of Calvià, i.e. before he became minister. The photo dates back eighteen months or longer. Which does rather beg the question as to why it has now only surfaced.
In an interview with the IB3 television channel, Delgado has said that the photo (photos in fact) were in an album in his former home. He is of course separated from his wife, a fact that became evident when he appointed his girlfriend to a post in the ministry and then had to remove her because of the outcry. Someone, he said in the interview, had passed the photos to a newspaper. And the newspaper which published the photos is one that has its own issue - one with Delgado.
The opposition parties are, naturally enough, having a field day. It's an example of politicians indulging in pastimes which make them appear to be laughing at the people of the Balearics when they are suffering so badly because of economic crisis. This has echoes of the King's elephantine error in Botswana. A similar thing was said about him swanning off on a hunting trip when the people of Spain were heading towards a state of penury, if they hadn't already arrived at it.
A further criticism that the opposition has levelled is a broader one of the composition of the Balearic Government's cabinet. It is male and male alone and has been since the health minister (the first one, that is) resigned; the second one was male, as is the third. So, Delgado and his hunting trip is indicative of a male-dominated government. Or something like this. I confess that I don't quite follow the logic, but then it is the logic of the female-dominated PSOE. I suppose the logic is that were the cabinet full of women, rather than going on hunting trips, they would all be out on shopping trips buying shoes. Or maybe jackets made with deer hides.
There is of course a serious side to this. The photo doesn't convey a good image, and it is no use Delgado or the government pretending that it does. Moreover, coming on top of various mishaps and personal embarrassments that the government and individual ministers have experienced recently, this latest one simply adds to the embarrassment. One does, however, wonder as to the timing of the photo's emergence into the public domain so soon after ministers Bosch and Company were found to have been off on allegedly private diving trips at public expense.
But then, there is a different serious side to the whole affair. Delgado is minister for sport as well as tourism. Hunting is considered to be a sport, though some might disagree. It may not be huge business, but there is international tourism to be gained from hunting. In the mountains above Alcúdia, the quality of the goats is first-rate, and certification awarded a few years ago says so. This is goat quality for quality huntsmen to take aim at. Perhaps, therefore, Delgado's photo is not all bad news and all bad image. Mind you, I don't know what they do with goats' testicles.
* If you want to see the photo of Delgado, which I'm not reproducing because of copyright as opposed to any sensitivity, then go here for example:http://ultimahora.es/mallorca/noticia/noticias/local/diputado-animalista-avisa-foto-delgado-los-testiculos-del-ciervo-dana-marca-espana.html
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
It really isn't a particularly pleasant picture, the one of Carlos with the cojones: a smiling, nay euphoric Delgado, victory-V signs with both hands, blood trickling down his happy fizzog and the two veg of the stag lying on a garnish of tourism minister hair. There are certain things that I might place on my head, a cap for example, but personally I would draw the line at Bambi's bollocks. Carlos, evidently, is not quite so squeamish. I wonder where the balls are now.
As you can probably imagine, the image of the triumphant tourism minister with his testicular trophies hasn't gone down well with some people: the animal rightists, for instance. This is no image for a tourism minister to be displaying. What will people think of Mallorca if its tourism minister can shoot defenceless creatures, remove their tackle and turn it into headgear? Resign! Resign!
It isn't an especially endearing image it has to be said. But it is an image with a bit of history. It's not as if Carlos went off last week and hunted his prey. He did so when he was still mayor of Calvià, i.e. before he became minister. The photo dates back eighteen months or longer. Which does rather beg the question as to why it has now only surfaced.
In an interview with the IB3 television channel, Delgado has said that the photo (photos in fact) were in an album in his former home. He is of course separated from his wife, a fact that became evident when he appointed his girlfriend to a post in the ministry and then had to remove her because of the outcry. Someone, he said in the interview, had passed the photos to a newspaper. And the newspaper which published the photos is one that has its own issue - one with Delgado.
The opposition parties are, naturally enough, having a field day. It's an example of politicians indulging in pastimes which make them appear to be laughing at the people of the Balearics when they are suffering so badly because of economic crisis. This has echoes of the King's elephantine error in Botswana. A similar thing was said about him swanning off on a hunting trip when the people of Spain were heading towards a state of penury, if they hadn't already arrived at it.
A further criticism that the opposition has levelled is a broader one of the composition of the Balearic Government's cabinet. It is male and male alone and has been since the health minister (the first one, that is) resigned; the second one was male, as is the third. So, Delgado and his hunting trip is indicative of a male-dominated government. Or something like this. I confess that I don't quite follow the logic, but then it is the logic of the female-dominated PSOE. I suppose the logic is that were the cabinet full of women, rather than going on hunting trips, they would all be out on shopping trips buying shoes. Or maybe jackets made with deer hides.
There is of course a serious side to this. The photo doesn't convey a good image, and it is no use Delgado or the government pretending that it does. Moreover, coming on top of various mishaps and personal embarrassments that the government and individual ministers have experienced recently, this latest one simply adds to the embarrassment. One does, however, wonder as to the timing of the photo's emergence into the public domain so soon after ministers Bosch and Company were found to have been off on allegedly private diving trips at public expense.
But then, there is a different serious side to the whole affair. Delgado is minister for sport as well as tourism. Hunting is considered to be a sport, though some might disagree. It may not be huge business, but there is international tourism to be gained from hunting. In the mountains above Alcúdia, the quality of the goats is first-rate, and certification awarded a few years ago says so. This is goat quality for quality huntsmen to take aim at. Perhaps, therefore, Delgado's photo is not all bad news and all bad image. Mind you, I don't know what they do with goats' testicles.
* If you want to see the photo of Delgado, which I'm not reproducing because of copyright as opposed to any sensitivity, then go here for example:http://ultimahora.es/mallorca/noticia/noticias/local/diputado-animalista-avisa-foto-delgado-los-testiculos-del-ciervo-dana-marca-espana.html
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Pollensa auditorium money is wanted back
When the decision was taken some months ago to not go ahead with the construction of the auditorium in Pollensa, it was hoped that the town hall would get back money it had invested in the project (getting on for 700,000 euros) from the regional government. To date, the money has not been forthcoming, and the PSM in Pollensa is insisting that it should be and should come from the regional government's budget.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
MALLORCA TODAY - Pollensa's refuge to be privatised
It has taken several months to confirm but the Council of Mallorca has finally and officially set in motion the process to privatise two of the five refuges on the Tramuntana dry stone route, one in Deià, the other by the Roman bridge in Pollensa. The debt for running the refuges in 2011 was 600,000 euros, hence the decision to privatise. The services offered to walkers by the refuges will not be changed under the planned privatisation.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 20 November 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.45am): 12C
Forecast high: 20C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): Northwest 3 backing Southwest later.
A chilly, sunny morning with little by way of breeze. Remaining sunny until the evening. Tomorrow is also set to be mainly sunny.
Afternoon update (17.30): Very nice day it has been, a high of 21C.
Holiday Lets: Now they go national
There is no single national law that applies to holiday rental accommodation and no single national body that represents the holiday let sector. These two issues were highlighted at a recent conference in Madrid, the call going out for there to be a law and a unified organisation that can liaise more effectively with legislators.
The various regions of Spain all have their own laws regarding holiday rentals, and these 17 separate laws have given rise to a chaotic situation, to uncertainty and to difficulties in regulating holiday lets. The need for appropriate legislation has become ever more urgent, the holiday let market in Spain as a whole increasing annually at a rate of 30%.
The reasons for the rapid increase in this market are obvious. There is a vast stock of homes that stand empty for good periods of the year and a desire on behalf of the holidaymaker to find savings; without middlemen being involved, direct contact between owners and renters can result in such savings. And given the benefits that this form of tourism can deliver - both to local economies and the national economy - businesses engaged in holiday rentals appreciate the need for there to be proper and effective legislation and for a proper voice to represent their interests.
A national law that should apply to holiday lets, the tenancies act, is to be reformed, Madrid acknowledging that when it was drawn up in 1994 it didn't specify tourism rental accommodation and also acknowledging the necessity for harmonisation of the legal situation across the different regions of Spain. The national government is, however, coming at the reform from one particular way, that of addressing illegal accommodation. The emphasis is important, as it determines the thinking behind legislative change, and it is one that businesses in the holiday rental sector challenge because there is a resultant absence of emphasis on the professionalising of a tourism sector that is undergoing major development.
That there is a need for harmonisation is shown by the vast differences in regional approaches. We know all about the approach in the Balearics (and the Canaries). The total opposite to this is the approach being adopted in Catalonia where any form of accommodation is to be regularised and renters will also be subject to paying the new tourist tax.
But how easy (or difficult) would it be to harmonise legislation? Different situations apply in different regions, and in the different regions there are different, dominant voices and lobbies. The regions have the right to draw up their own tourism laws, as is the case in the Balearics, but these laws are not sacrosanct. National government can intercede and force changes to regional laws, and indeed Madrid has questioned clauses in the Balearics new tourism law which conflict with responsibilities of the state. One of the clauses that has been questioned does in fact refer to the "classification of tourism companies", one aspect of which is companies that commercialise tourist stays in homes (holiday lets in other words).
The principle exists, and it is a constitutional one, for national government to insist on amendments to regional legislation where it runs counter to state responsibilities or indeed European directives or law. In theory, therefore, national government could, were it of a mind to, override the Balearics legal hostility towards the holiday let market. In fact, national government is in a quandary on this issue, as the national tourism plan has recognised residential tourism as a strength. Residential tourism is usually taken to mean that provided by owners of second homes, those who come from other parts of Spain or overseas to stay in their homes. What the national government won't admit, though, is that this residential tourism means something else as well. It knows what it means - holiday lets - but is reluctant to say so.
This isn't altogether surprising when the national tourism minister and national tourism secretary of state are, respectively, from the Canaries and the Balearics, the two regions of Spain with the strongest legislation against holiday lets. Both José Manuel Soria and Isabel Borrego know full well how badly any more liberal approach to holiday lets would play with hoteliers in their home territories.
For the lobby and government in the Balearics that want to strengthen their case against illegal accommodation, reform of the national tenancies act is seen as a means of doing so. While Madrid's stance appears to be reform without taking account of a growing sector of the tourism market, the noises coming out of the recent conference give encouragement that Madrid might adopt a different attitude. I say might. Just remember, though, who Isabel Borrego is. She is a property expert, not a tourism expert. The tenancies act is property law and not tourism law.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
The various regions of Spain all have their own laws regarding holiday rentals, and these 17 separate laws have given rise to a chaotic situation, to uncertainty and to difficulties in regulating holiday lets. The need for appropriate legislation has become ever more urgent, the holiday let market in Spain as a whole increasing annually at a rate of 30%.
The reasons for the rapid increase in this market are obvious. There is a vast stock of homes that stand empty for good periods of the year and a desire on behalf of the holidaymaker to find savings; without middlemen being involved, direct contact between owners and renters can result in such savings. And given the benefits that this form of tourism can deliver - both to local economies and the national economy - businesses engaged in holiday rentals appreciate the need for there to be proper and effective legislation and for a proper voice to represent their interests.
A national law that should apply to holiday lets, the tenancies act, is to be reformed, Madrid acknowledging that when it was drawn up in 1994 it didn't specify tourism rental accommodation and also acknowledging the necessity for harmonisation of the legal situation across the different regions of Spain. The national government is, however, coming at the reform from one particular way, that of addressing illegal accommodation. The emphasis is important, as it determines the thinking behind legislative change, and it is one that businesses in the holiday rental sector challenge because there is a resultant absence of emphasis on the professionalising of a tourism sector that is undergoing major development.
That there is a need for harmonisation is shown by the vast differences in regional approaches. We know all about the approach in the Balearics (and the Canaries). The total opposite to this is the approach being adopted in Catalonia where any form of accommodation is to be regularised and renters will also be subject to paying the new tourist tax.
But how easy (or difficult) would it be to harmonise legislation? Different situations apply in different regions, and in the different regions there are different, dominant voices and lobbies. The regions have the right to draw up their own tourism laws, as is the case in the Balearics, but these laws are not sacrosanct. National government can intercede and force changes to regional laws, and indeed Madrid has questioned clauses in the Balearics new tourism law which conflict with responsibilities of the state. One of the clauses that has been questioned does in fact refer to the "classification of tourism companies", one aspect of which is companies that commercialise tourist stays in homes (holiday lets in other words).
The principle exists, and it is a constitutional one, for national government to insist on amendments to regional legislation where it runs counter to state responsibilities or indeed European directives or law. In theory, therefore, national government could, were it of a mind to, override the Balearics legal hostility towards the holiday let market. In fact, national government is in a quandary on this issue, as the national tourism plan has recognised residential tourism as a strength. Residential tourism is usually taken to mean that provided by owners of second homes, those who come from other parts of Spain or overseas to stay in their homes. What the national government won't admit, though, is that this residential tourism means something else as well. It knows what it means - holiday lets - but is reluctant to say so.
This isn't altogether surprising when the national tourism minister and national tourism secretary of state are, respectively, from the Canaries and the Balearics, the two regions of Spain with the strongest legislation against holiday lets. Both José Manuel Soria and Isabel Borrego know full well how badly any more liberal approach to holiday lets would play with hoteliers in their home territories.
For the lobby and government in the Balearics that want to strengthen their case against illegal accommodation, reform of the national tenancies act is seen as a means of doing so. While Madrid's stance appears to be reform without taking account of a growing sector of the tourism market, the noises coming out of the recent conference give encouragement that Madrid might adopt a different attitude. I say might. Just remember, though, who Isabel Borrego is. She is a property expert, not a tourism expert. The tenancies act is property law and not tourism law.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Monday, November 19, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Car-hire associations attack new tax
The Balearic and national associations for car-hire firms have attacked the Balearic Government's intention to introduce a tax on car hire that could see daily rates rise by between 3.5 and nine euros. The associations dismiss the notion that the tax is for environmental purposes and suggest that the introduction of the tax next year could result in the closure of a number of firms and a fall of 30% in the number of vehicles.
See more: Diario de Mallorca
See more: Diario de Mallorca
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 19 November 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.30am): 17C
Forecast high: 19C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): North and Northeast 6 with 7 at intervals receding to 4 to 5 and by the evening veering East 3 to 4.
Showers overnight, it is a cloudy and breezy morning, due to become sunny and the wind diminishing. Yellow advice in place for coastal and sea conditions that should pass by midday. Tomorrow is forecast to be a mainly sunny day. The outlook is changeable for the week.
Yesterday's rain, which was only heavy in parts of the northern area, was not as heavy as in the centre of the island where there has been some significant flooding.
Afternoon update (17.45): As forecast, things calmed down and it has been a decent day with a fair amount of sun. A high of 18.9C.
When Tourism Promotion Becomes An Obligation
So, bookings are already well up for holidays in the Balearics next summer, an increase achieved with the help of little promotional effort by the Balearic Government's tourism ministry. There has to be a moral to this story, and the simplistic one is that the individual islands are strong and resilient enough brands not to require a great deal of promotional effort.
I say simplistic, but this doesn't mean that the conclusion is entirely wrong. While competition to the Balearics has grown, one should place oneself in the shoes of the ordinary holidaymaker (British) who has to decide on next year's holiday destination. Of European destinations, there are several to choose from. The holidaymaker knows about these other destinations, he will probably have seen promotions for them all, but he still decides on Mallorca or another Balearic island despite an absence of promotion. Why?
One reason is the strength of the brand and what it represents. There is much to be said for a brand that has attributes of reliability and security as well as sun and beach. Mallorca is like a Volvo. You know what you're going to get, you know it won't go wrong and you know it'll be safe. The choice may not be original, but originality long disappeared from the decision-making choice of the ordinary holidaymaker. Everywhere does sun, beach, bars, culture, sports. There is little that can be claimed as unique. Throw in, for the British holidaymaker, a stronger pound and relatively short travel times to Mallorca, and the decision isn't so difficult.
This rosy picture doesn't mean that promotion can be neglected, but one of the benefits of economic crisis has been a far greater appreciation as to how promotional euros should be spent. Tourism minister Delgado gets it in the neck for the paltry amounts that are on offer for promotion, but he has defended the ministry's budget by saying that there is greater imagination and less waste. It has taken time for the penny to drop, but three years ago when there was a general wailing and gnashing of teeth because of cuts to promotional funding, I said: "slash the budget even more and then make them think how they can make their money work harder".
There is more imagination that could be shown, especially when it comes to the use of social media, but I am willing to defend Delgado. He is not in thrall to a need to unearth celebrities and to pump funds into expensive advertising as former ministers (and presidents; well one certainly) were. If government coffers were stuffed with cash, he may well fall into the same trap, but he should be given credit for recognising that promotion does not have to mean a rubbish advert with Nadal on a boat.
Because of the high volume of tourism in 2011 and 2012 and the anticipation of a similar volume in 2013, the temptation exists to simply sit on laurels and expect tourists to turn up regardless. They may well do, but, and despite financial constraints, this is no reason to scale back promotion to the point where one day they may not; brand reliability or not. And one aspect of promotion that shouldn't be neglected is that of tour operator collaboration.
Joint promotional efforts with tour operators have been a staple of the tourism marketing mix for Mallorca and the Balearics. Their importance may be overstated as tour operators are not about to not invest in promotion when they have huge numbers of holidays to sell. The government can take the attitude that the promotion will be done anyway, but joint promotion is more than simply a marketing exercise; it is a recognition of the mutual benefits that tour operator-government relationships bring. In a sense, government financial support is like a subsidy to the tour operators, and though this sounds dodgy in a competition sense, it isn't. Indeed, there is more reason than ever for such joint promotions to be reinforced.
Mallorca and the tour operators face a similar issue in that the nature of tourism markets has changed to the extent that it has. Once upon a time, the market that Mallorca sold to was fairly homogeneous; it was primarily a northern European one that had one wish - sun. The message, though customised by language, was the same. This is no longer the case. There are now that many more markets, all of them more fragmented in terms of media and consumer sophistication or expectation, which provide competition to Mallorca and that many more markets which Mallorca has to promote to. For the tour operators, there are that many more markets to be promoted.
It may seem as if Mallorca is being held to ransom in having to chip in, but it isn't anything of the sort. The tour operators provide Mallorca's lifeblood, and the government shouldn't forget this. Peculiar though it will sound, there is a moral as much as an economic obligation to joint promotions.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
I say simplistic, but this doesn't mean that the conclusion is entirely wrong. While competition to the Balearics has grown, one should place oneself in the shoes of the ordinary holidaymaker (British) who has to decide on next year's holiday destination. Of European destinations, there are several to choose from. The holidaymaker knows about these other destinations, he will probably have seen promotions for them all, but he still decides on Mallorca or another Balearic island despite an absence of promotion. Why?
One reason is the strength of the brand and what it represents. There is much to be said for a brand that has attributes of reliability and security as well as sun and beach. Mallorca is like a Volvo. You know what you're going to get, you know it won't go wrong and you know it'll be safe. The choice may not be original, but originality long disappeared from the decision-making choice of the ordinary holidaymaker. Everywhere does sun, beach, bars, culture, sports. There is little that can be claimed as unique. Throw in, for the British holidaymaker, a stronger pound and relatively short travel times to Mallorca, and the decision isn't so difficult.
This rosy picture doesn't mean that promotion can be neglected, but one of the benefits of economic crisis has been a far greater appreciation as to how promotional euros should be spent. Tourism minister Delgado gets it in the neck for the paltry amounts that are on offer for promotion, but he has defended the ministry's budget by saying that there is greater imagination and less waste. It has taken time for the penny to drop, but three years ago when there was a general wailing and gnashing of teeth because of cuts to promotional funding, I said: "slash the budget even more and then make them think how they can make their money work harder".
There is more imagination that could be shown, especially when it comes to the use of social media, but I am willing to defend Delgado. He is not in thrall to a need to unearth celebrities and to pump funds into expensive advertising as former ministers (and presidents; well one certainly) were. If government coffers were stuffed with cash, he may well fall into the same trap, but he should be given credit for recognising that promotion does not have to mean a rubbish advert with Nadal on a boat.
Because of the high volume of tourism in 2011 and 2012 and the anticipation of a similar volume in 2013, the temptation exists to simply sit on laurels and expect tourists to turn up regardless. They may well do, but, and despite financial constraints, this is no reason to scale back promotion to the point where one day they may not; brand reliability or not. And one aspect of promotion that shouldn't be neglected is that of tour operator collaboration.
Joint promotional efforts with tour operators have been a staple of the tourism marketing mix for Mallorca and the Balearics. Their importance may be overstated as tour operators are not about to not invest in promotion when they have huge numbers of holidays to sell. The government can take the attitude that the promotion will be done anyway, but joint promotion is more than simply a marketing exercise; it is a recognition of the mutual benefits that tour operator-government relationships bring. In a sense, government financial support is like a subsidy to the tour operators, and though this sounds dodgy in a competition sense, it isn't. Indeed, there is more reason than ever for such joint promotions to be reinforced.
Mallorca and the tour operators face a similar issue in that the nature of tourism markets has changed to the extent that it has. Once upon a time, the market that Mallorca sold to was fairly homogeneous; it was primarily a northern European one that had one wish - sun. The message, though customised by language, was the same. This is no longer the case. There are now that many more markets, all of them more fragmented in terms of media and consumer sophistication or expectation, which provide competition to Mallorca and that many more markets which Mallorca has to promote to. For the tour operators, there are that many more markets to be promoted.
It may seem as if Mallorca is being held to ransom in having to chip in, but it isn't anything of the sort. The tour operators provide Mallorca's lifeblood, and the government shouldn't forget this. Peculiar though it will sound, there is a moral as much as an economic obligation to joint promotions.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
MALLORCA TODAY - Celta Vigo 1 : 1 Real Mallorca
Vigo, struggling following promotion, offered an opportunity for Mallorca to get back to winning ways after a lousy run of defeats. Without Tomer Hemed's goals, Mallorca would be in a bigger pickle than they are, and it was the Israeli international who suggested the winning ways might be returning, putting the visitors one up midway through a first period in which Mallorca had greater penetration and efforts on goal if a good deal less of the ball. Vigo's greater possession finally led to something positive ten minutes into the second half, South Korean international, Park Chu-young, on loan from Arsenal, scoring the equaliser.
A point at last for Mallorca who are 15th in La Liga, immediately above Vigo. Granada play later and their game may affect the positions.
Vigo:
Varas; Mallo, Vila, Tuñez, Bellvis; Oubiña, López; Fernández (De Lucas 64), Park Chu-young, Krohn-Dehli (Tomás 85); Aspas (Bermejo 72)
Goal: Park Chu-young (56)
Yellow: López (87)
Mallorca:
Aouate; Ximo, Geromel, Conceiçao, Bigas; Pina (Arizmendi 72), Fontás (Martí 72); Nsue, Victor, Pereira; Hemed (Kevin 86)
Goal: Hemed (22)
Yellows: Bigas (31), Geromel (44), Fontás (57)
A point at last for Mallorca who are 15th in La Liga, immediately above Vigo. Granada play later and their game may affect the positions.
Vigo:
Varas; Mallo, Vila, Tuñez, Bellvis; Oubiña, López; Fernández (De Lucas 64), Park Chu-young, Krohn-Dehli (Tomás 85); Aspas (Bermejo 72)
Goal: Park Chu-young (56)
Yellow: López (87)
Mallorca:
Aouate; Ximo, Geromel, Conceiçao, Bigas; Pina (Arizmendi 72), Fontás (Martí 72); Nsue, Victor, Pereira; Hemed (Kevin 86)
Goal: Hemed (22)
Yellows: Bigas (31), Geromel (44), Fontás (57)
MALLORCA TODAY - Can Llobera work will start in December
Pollensa town hall, still not assured of receiving a grant from the Council of Mallorca, plans, nevertheless, to start work on restoring Can Llobera, the family home of the poet Miquel Costa i Llobera, and has dedicated 400,000 euros to the work. One concern with the work is that, given the location of the house, it may interfere with the pine that is brought into the Plaça Vella in Pollensa for the traditional climb during the Sant Antoni fiesta in January.
See more: Ultima Hora
See more: Ultima Hora
MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 18 November 2012
No Frills Excursions
Morning high (8.20am): 14.5C
Forecast high: 19C
Sea conditions (northern Mallorca): East and Northeast 3 to 4 reaching Northeast 5 with the possibility of storms.
A reasonably bright start but the forecast isn't encouraging. Alerts in place for rain and storms, more likely in the afternoon. Rain due through the night but getting better and then a couple of sunny days before cloud returns by Thursday.
Afternoon update (17.45): The sun stayed around until later in the afternoon, storm clouds rolling in bringing rain, heavy in some areas. A high of 19.8C.
Mallorca Is Open To Business: Or is it?
The Balearic Government wants to make life easier for businesses. It wants to promote and encourage entrepreneurship, to simplify procedures, to make the finding of relevant information and relevant decision-makers easier, to attract foreign investors and to develop local talent.
It wants to do all these things and up to a point it is going about them in the right way. It talks the talk, but whether it walks the talk is another matter.
A gathering of mainly British businesspeople and others on Thursday last week at the offices of the Centre Balears Europa (CBE), part of the government's department of the presidency, was designed to impart information regarding "the changing landscape of business opportunity for European entrepreneurs in the the Balearic Islands". This was the title of the meeting at any rate.
It wasn't a bad meeting insofar as the most interesting aspect of it was to hear from a body that few people knew existed - the IDI, the institute for business innovation. It was interesting as there appear to be people within the institute, and by extension, therefore, the government, who do seem to know what they're talking about and who do seem to be genuinely committed to pursuing the objectives set out at the top of this article.
It was a pity, then, that I left the gathering with a distinct sense of pessimism, one formed by different factors: administrative structures, culture and attitudes.
There is an admission, and God knows why it has taken so long for there to be an admission, that governmental and agency structures that businesspeople have to confront are labyrinthine to say the least. Ultimately, what is needed is a flat structure, one which, culturally, places the user (the businessperson and/or company) above, and which serves this user. When there are as many agencies as there are, it is hard to see how such flatness can ever be achieved. Not while turf wars and vested interests remain endemic.
I give you a case in point as to how the government wanted to flatten decision-making but was denied the opportunity because of the interests of town halls and the Council of Mallorca. It was the process for obtaining permissions for hotel conversion. The town halls and Council were meant to have been taken out of the equation, but they refused to be. One-nil to the vested interests.
Changing bureaucratic structures can only come with a fundamental change of culture. This isn't necessarily a cultural change that brings about more Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards business, i.e. those which are more in tune with the needs of business and entrepreneurs, and away from an obstructive, everything in triplicate and then in triplicate again just to be sure, southern European mindset. These attitudes may well help, but there is also a question of cultural change of public sector mentality, and this is one that is universally obstinate in resisting change.
While the Balearics might look to northern Europe for guidance, it might be recalled how the British public sector once was. It still carries baggage from the past, but cultural change was one that proved hard, despite the insistence of Margaret Thatcher and then John Major. It can be done, but it doesn't happen overnight, especially if the structures inhibit or even prohibit its being effected.
Attitudes die hard. The landscape may apparently be changing for European entrepreneurs, but neither the CBE nor the IDI has fully cottoned on to the fact, if their websites are anything to go by. The best one can say is that the IDI does at least have a Castellano version; the CBE doesn't even have that. So much for an apparent wish to make English a language of business locally. Talking the talk (but only in Catalan), rather than walking it.
When there is a linguistic attempt to engage foreign investors, the attempt ends up being mind-boggling. I give you a different case in point: the translation into English of the new tourism law. Reader-friendly it most certainly wasn't.
Just how much do the Balearics and Mallorca want foreigners to invest and to pursue business activities? It is a key question, and I'm afraid that there is antagonism that stems from parochialism and even xenophobia (which is far more prevalent away from Palma and its cosmopolitan satellites, it should be noted). The reaction to Media Markt's opening from parts of the local business community has pretty much betrayed this antagonism, it being couched in an insular Mallorcan style.
But for big-ticket business, such xenophobia can be overcome. The labyrinth of bureaucracy can be worked through. Relationships can be formed easily with governmental leaders. Big-ticket business can do these things, but what of the small business or the one man? The IDI and the CBE might hope they can make life easier, and I wish them every success, but optimistic I am not.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
It wants to do all these things and up to a point it is going about them in the right way. It talks the talk, but whether it walks the talk is another matter.
A gathering of mainly British businesspeople and others on Thursday last week at the offices of the Centre Balears Europa (CBE), part of the government's department of the presidency, was designed to impart information regarding "the changing landscape of business opportunity for European entrepreneurs in the the Balearic Islands". This was the title of the meeting at any rate.
It wasn't a bad meeting insofar as the most interesting aspect of it was to hear from a body that few people knew existed - the IDI, the institute for business innovation. It was interesting as there appear to be people within the institute, and by extension, therefore, the government, who do seem to know what they're talking about and who do seem to be genuinely committed to pursuing the objectives set out at the top of this article.
It was a pity, then, that I left the gathering with a distinct sense of pessimism, one formed by different factors: administrative structures, culture and attitudes.
There is an admission, and God knows why it has taken so long for there to be an admission, that governmental and agency structures that businesspeople have to confront are labyrinthine to say the least. Ultimately, what is needed is a flat structure, one which, culturally, places the user (the businessperson and/or company) above, and which serves this user. When there are as many agencies as there are, it is hard to see how such flatness can ever be achieved. Not while turf wars and vested interests remain endemic.
I give you a case in point as to how the government wanted to flatten decision-making but was denied the opportunity because of the interests of town halls and the Council of Mallorca. It was the process for obtaining permissions for hotel conversion. The town halls and Council were meant to have been taken out of the equation, but they refused to be. One-nil to the vested interests.
Changing bureaucratic structures can only come with a fundamental change of culture. This isn't necessarily a cultural change that brings about more Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards business, i.e. those which are more in tune with the needs of business and entrepreneurs, and away from an obstructive, everything in triplicate and then in triplicate again just to be sure, southern European mindset. These attitudes may well help, but there is also a question of cultural change of public sector mentality, and this is one that is universally obstinate in resisting change.
While the Balearics might look to northern Europe for guidance, it might be recalled how the British public sector once was. It still carries baggage from the past, but cultural change was one that proved hard, despite the insistence of Margaret Thatcher and then John Major. It can be done, but it doesn't happen overnight, especially if the structures inhibit or even prohibit its being effected.
Attitudes die hard. The landscape may apparently be changing for European entrepreneurs, but neither the CBE nor the IDI has fully cottoned on to the fact, if their websites are anything to go by. The best one can say is that the IDI does at least have a Castellano version; the CBE doesn't even have that. So much for an apparent wish to make English a language of business locally. Talking the talk (but only in Catalan), rather than walking it.
When there is a linguistic attempt to engage foreign investors, the attempt ends up being mind-boggling. I give you a different case in point: the translation into English of the new tourism law. Reader-friendly it most certainly wasn't.
Just how much do the Balearics and Mallorca want foreigners to invest and to pursue business activities? It is a key question, and I'm afraid that there is antagonism that stems from parochialism and even xenophobia (which is far more prevalent away from Palma and its cosmopolitan satellites, it should be noted). The reaction to Media Markt's opening from parts of the local business community has pretty much betrayed this antagonism, it being couched in an insular Mallorcan style.
But for big-ticket business, such xenophobia can be overcome. The labyrinth of bureaucracy can be worked through. Relationships can be formed easily with governmental leaders. Big-ticket business can do these things, but what of the small business or the one man? The IDI and the CBE might hope they can make life easier, and I wish them every success, but optimistic I am not.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
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