Maria Frontera is stepping down from her position as president of the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation, having completed two terms that started in early 2018. She will be succeeded by the president of the Palma hoteliers association, Javier Vich.
Her presidency has been marked by the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, by the collapse of Thomas Cook, and by the growing movement that questions Mallorca's tourism model.
Since 2018 she has known three Balearic tourism ministers. The first of these was Bel Busquets of Més, who succeeded Biel Barceló after he resigned in late 2017. President Armengol and PSOE hadn't wanted Busquets, but in the end had to bow to Més demands in order to keep the left-wing coalition on track. Maria Frontera understands that PSOE reluctance. Frontera's appointment as federation president more or less coincided with that of Busquets. "Tourism was not her speciality. We were unable to make any progress."
PSOE secured the tourism portfolio following the 2019 election. Iago Negueruela became minister, while Andreu Serra was the new councillor for tourism at the Council of Mallorca.
"We worked very closely at very difficult times. We had very good times and others of much debate and discussion, but always in a constructive manner. But they were difficult times. When there was the crisis, everyone quickly came together in search of solutions. However, when ideologies interfere and issues different from the current needs of our society are prioritised, everything becomes distorted.
"I now have a very good relationship with Jaume Bauzá (the minister) and Marcial Rodríguez (the councillor) at a time of important changes that can affect our tourism markets. There has been a very close relationship with both of them. There is much more active listening, but we have had disappointments along the way. We must always be vigilant, because political parties make many promises; we cannot be naive."
The announcement of an increase in the rate of the tourist tax in high summer has been the main disappointment. Frontera says there was no prior consultation, lumping the Partido Popular in with other parties when it comes to "populist measures". "They do not consult."
Politicians, in her opinion, have looked upon the tax as a means of obtaining "more financial performance from visitors". But a problem is that not everyone pays the tax, such as those visitors who stay in illegal lets.
"They must prioritise the fight against illegal supply, which last year alone accommodated three million tourists who did not pay the tax. Holiday rental places have grown by 173% in recent years, but it is always we (the hotels) who are targeted."
This illegal supply is often considered to be the main culprit when it comes to tourist overcrowding. Frontera argues that it is not the only one. "There are several issues that have caused the situation we have today. One of them is that there has been no anticipation, planning or management for this region as a holiday destination. For example, mobility is chaotic. The federation has been warning of its deterioration but no new measures have been applied, not even with the technology that we have at hand to improve it. There have been changes in public transport, but they are not enough.
"Another problem is the uncontrolled increase in population but without the accompanying improvement in infrastructure. The uncontrolled growth of regulated and unregulated holiday letting has compounded the lack of housing policies. These in turn have prevented many jobs from being filled in both the private and the public sectors, as there is obviously not the housing for workers."
With regard to the protests about tourist overcrowding and its impacts, Frontera argues that advantage needs to be taken of technology in order to better manage the flows of tourists. Strategy for tackling tourism seasonality, she says, has allowed hotels to operate and provide work for nine months a year. "However, there are areas of Mallorca where it is more difficult to achieve this, as public authorities are content with having services open for six or seven months, even though we pay for them with our taxes throughout the year. I am referring to public transport, beaches, any service for residents and visitors."
But even with this strategy for seasonality, Frontera is critical of the fact that the flow of tourists is not being controlled. There wasn't a "solid argument". "It was without any data and without having previously carried out an analysis that contemplated the consequences that it entails.
"We have to have a picture that thinks 365 days a year and an improvement in all environmental issues. The fight against climate change generates opportunities and hence our clear commitment to circularity, which is a path to progress and differentiation that will make the Balearic Islands a more competitive destination." Frontera insists: "Our tourism model is admired throughout Europe."
But it could be better, especially in terms of social sustainability, which was a key reason why the Balearic Government established the social and political pact for sustainability and its twelve working parties. The hoteliers federation is represented on these working parties, from which various entities have walked away over the past two weeks - the Forum for Civil Society, the Palma Federation of Residents Associations and the environmentalists GOB.
Frontera doesn't believe the pact is dead. Separate to the working parties, the federation has been engaged in its own direct talks. It has a very good relationship with the forum and the residents federation. "We are in fact in complete agreement on issues that we have been working on for a long time."
Covid represented a massive challenge. The debate about the tourism model is a very different challenge but also on a huge scale. It is a debate in which there is growing tourism business sensitivity towards the social issues. This has perhaps been the dynamic that has most characterised Frontera's period as president, as right now it can - in some respects - appear that it is the government which is lagging behind a growing harmony between business and society.