Dear Sir,
Resident here on Island 33 years, worked in tourism, Hotels and Villas with pools 33 years here on the Island in the North.
Before I pass personal comments, regards front page write up in Bulletin dated Saturday 6th July, I would like to make it clear, I am not against tourism, the Island needs Tourism, my husband works in tourism, this is about Hoteliers and the Tourism Industry missing the crux of a vital point, we need responsible and sustainable tourism, fewer tourists, allowing Majorca to keep its quality of services it once used to be able to offer, and would seem no longer able to offer, why is the concern doubt Question, the answer is simple.
“Perhaps self affliction by Majorca itself, allowing far too many tourists in the first place as current, and not able to meet the demands, continue the quality it once used to give, due to this”.
I would like to raise to awareness as what seems missed in my personal opinion, if I may, is the fact, that the recent influx of over the ceiling level of tourists which has steadily grown over the past 4 years to saturation point. For example, one cannot get a park at Muro beach if you are not there before 9am to go to the beach.Four years ago, one could go to the car park at 8am, 11am or 12 noon, yes depending on times it may have proved more difficult, but whatever, one always got a park, now it is impossible. One the reasons being, nearby Hotel guests of large complexes (for fact Hotels do not provide parking) park their hire cars in the public spaces that we locals pay taxes for to use public venues, spaces are not available, due to Tourist Industry on the Island not ensuring responsible sustainable tourism exists.
There seems to be no communication with local councils and Hotels, this is just one issue arisen, talks should have taken place, to arrange, or allocate X amount of spaces to the Hotel guests, allowing locals opportunity to park, charge everyone for parking, one suggestion box, this is lacking and needs to be addressed, as tourists based at other resorts who come up for the day to spend at beautiful Muro Beach, find after a long drive, they are unable to park, this is not good tourism sense surely? Instead, Hotel clients take up 95% of the car spaces for the fact, Hotels do not supply car park facilities for their guests to lessen this problem, which seems to be accepted by the Majorcan Tourist Industry?
Within the write up, it seems wonderment is in place as to why this sudden drop, even though it may have been envisaged months before, let’s say “warning signals”, the real core of the problem perhaps should be taken on board, it may simply be all the tourists last year who suffered for example, lack of enjoyment of their holiday of paying tourist tax but receiving lack of quality services overall, i.e. lack of taxi services available, long waits restaurants not sufficient waiters serving influx tourists, no food left due to high numbers of tourists, resulting in limited choice menus finally, buses unable to take more people, and no extra services provided, public venues overcrowded, car parks unable to cope with extra cars.
First timers I personally overheard at a local market, last year stated, “ Pollensa is supposed to be a wonderful place, and Majorca, we won’t come back it’s far too crowded and there are no facilities available due to masses of people and services and quality are not worth the money we paid to visit the Island”. Why be surprised if these clients this year did not return, and may have gone to Greece or elsewhere, how sensible they are if they did. We frightened them away yes or no?
That is the problem, such comments speak volumes that a tourist’s first time visit experienced Majorca at its worst, the Island that had once upon a time so much to offer, now, so saturated with far too many tourists it simply cannot cope with this influx, and personally I am not surprised at all that there seems to be fewer reservations, any tourist with good common sense, will go elsewhere to a destination that is not allowed to be over the ceiling limit of tourists and where there is still tourism, yet not reached the degree of Balearic Islands.
I refer in particular to Majorca, where they can enjoy quality facilities still available that Majorca once was able to give and be proud of and is now struggling to offer.
Tourism Sector, take this on board, and should be ashamed of itself really, blaming the tourist tax as being one possible reason fewer visitors, wake up, it’s not the fact, tourist tax is requested, this is a great idea, in Oz they ask this, and that does not stop millions of people travelling to Australia.
The funds go to upkeeping public venues and more, required due to over influx of tourists, where facilities get used more, it’s clear to see, tourists whom we need, and want to share our beautiful Island with, may be tired of having to wait for 1 hour to get served in a restaurant, unable to catch a bus as none are available, wait 1 hour for taxi and cannot get a park at the beach, Hoteliers don’t have to scratch their heads in wonderment what has gone wrong...
Nothing has gone wrong, it’s a simple situation, Majorca is letting too many tourist in, resulting in driving custom and tourists away to another destination, so when you look at it this way, it’s self affliction of Majorca and its system, it’s as simple as that, by allowing too many tourists you have driven many away, so you have no one but yourselves to blame Majorca.
I am sure many excuses will be raised, and many may not agree with this opinion, comments here and the situation no doubt brushed under the carpet, perhaps for political and business reasons. The numbers and facts do not lie, when tourists are commenting at a local market, they will not return to what they were informed was a beautiful Island and resort, it is fact, there are too many tourists to enjoy their stay and have the benefits of what Majorca use to provide, such a situation cannot be brushed under the carpet as it’s reality.
If Majorca and its system has any business sense or care and responsibility to tourists and tourism generally, whether this wants to be taken on board or not these are the real facts, like it or not.
Majorca, is not what it was, due to saturation way beyond normality.
Yes, we need tourism, we want to share our Island with tourists, we need it for the economy, for jobs, this cannot be denied, it has to be with pragmatic sensible, responsible, sustainable approach, not just a case of cram as many tourists as we can on the Island, this is simply crazy, the results seem clear. As the write up states, there is concern as to why it seems FEWER tourists will come next year, so don’t cry in the soup, and wonder why, it’s self affliction at the end of the day.
Perhaps it’s time to take a leaf out of the book of Venice, and allocate X amount of tourists, the same as other countries and resorts are doing?
The views,are simply a personal opinion on the subject “tourist Industry Worried”, why worry, you have caused this yourselves at the end of the day sadly, I am from Australia where a spade is called a spade, and perhaps that’s what Majorca needs to shake it up to reality, look at the amount of cars on the Island at the moment, do you think tourists want to leave their resorts not the usual 3 hours before a flight that was once normal, but have to add another hour on top just because there are too many cars on the Island, beyond normality, leaving the Island, with dissatisfaction of not able to have enjoyed quality holiday that Majorca was once proud to offer, it’s all gone, and that’s the bottom line......
Whatever, comments here are purely my personal opinion and nothing else to do with the way I see this beautiful Island Jewel in the Mediterranean that I once enjoyed but no more as a 33 year old resident, and experiences currently, being a local, I also am unable to enjoy quality life due to the current state of tourism here on the Island, one may say, if you don’t like, move away, why should I, that will make it too easy for those in charge of tourism here on the Island to continue influx of tourists, and still scratch their heads in wonderment why fewer customers and reservations, I stick it out and hope someone will call a spade a spade within the Industry system before its too late.
Conclusion
“The Million Dollar question for Majorca, would you prefer to loose reservations, visitors, tourists due to saturation spoiling visitors holiday, and/or have fewer tourists who are able to enjoy a more quality Majorca overall that its facilities can cope with, which it currently cannot deliver, those visitors will no doubt return next year or the year after, perhaps spread the word how wonderful Majorca is to others, family or friends. After all, the returning visitor/guest is the best client Majorca could wish for, why, it’s guaranteed reservations/ business at the end of the day, so those with any power and jurisdiction at their finger tips, perhaps may wish to think about this hard and fast to save Majorca, ask themselves, does Majorca wish to loose a valued, welcomed and appreciated tourist/s or gain guaranteed return tourist who will return again year after year, the returning client is the best client any Hotel, Villa Company and tourism operator could ever wish for by making Majorca a responsible quality sustainable holiday destination, one of the most beautiful Islands to visit in the world, which is not the case at this current time”
Yours faithfully
JMD
Dear Sir,
Majorca Daily Bulletin Thursday World News Page 20 “Spain sees tourist numbers hitting record this summer” half a million more than last year..
Majorca Daily Bulletin Saturday (3 days later) Front Page “Hotel Reservations slide by thirty percent”.
Can you believe such a change in a few hours?
Mike Lillico
Playa de Palma
Drop in tourism in Majorca
Dear Sir,
I read with interest your column on the plight of the hoteliers this year, but sadly this is not going to be helped in the future thanks to a Majorca Council hell bent on destroying holidaymakers enjoyment on some of the most popular beaches this year.
Sa Rapita in July children bitten by sand whilst clambering over a metre high of rotting, stinking seagrass!
I would really like to see you do a readers’ survey on the state of Majorca’s beaches…. beach bars removed… toilets as well.
The seemingly crazy over green Council of Majorca are just giving the tourism to Greece on a plate!
All the best
Thomas
British politics
Dear Sir,
Jason Moore opines (MDB comment, July 5) British politics is experiencing ‘Interesting times’ as the UK reels towards the Brexit cliff-edge.
‘Interesting’, however, is putting it mildly.
Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6, came closer to whatever passes for a snapshot of broken Britain when he observed last week the country was suffering “a political nervous breakdown.”
Alas, even that is an understatement. The chilling, unvarnished truth is even worse.
A failed government, whose party faithful is about to thrust on the UK either an amoral liar, who believes he’s the incarnation of Churchill, or a bland nonentity, who makes a flat pint of San Miguel seem positively charismatic.
Both share a suicidal ambition for a no-deal leap over the Brexit precipice, but are presently hoodwinking the public with the fantasy they can somehow negotiate a better deal than Theresa May. And, if they don’t – tip: put your shirt on this outcome – don’t blame them; it’ll all be the fault of those dastardly Johnny Foreigners of Brussels.
Frankly, a couple of use-car salesmen and an art dealer could have concluded a better divorce from the EU than the prime minister and her Brexit ministers – David Davis, Dominic Raab and Steve Barclay – but May’s deal is probably as good as it’ll get (providing, of course, you’re not a Remainer).
Meanwhile, in the red corner, is a vacuous man who couldn’t win a backside-kicking contest in the land of the one-legged; an odious neo-Marxist dullard, who, by all accounts, is utterly in thrall to his kitchen cabinet of ultra-Leftist ‘rent-a brains’.
That in three years of bleating his ‘anti-racist’ credentials, the Labour leader can’t/won’t bring an end to the repugnant anti-Semitism crisis he personally owns, while shillyshallying over a people’s vote– backed by 84 percent of his party – shrieks volumes over his ability to even organize a family outing to Bognor.
Finally, elsewhere, lurks a dark and furtive spectre – not least where his living expenses are concerned – whose Brexit Party’s English fanaticism and fantastical populism are holding the Tory party to ransom.
So, yes, ‘interesting’ is one word to describe the spreading cancer raging through the body of British politics, but there are many others I’d prefer to use.
Hush Ash
Manchester, UK