It’s that time of year when the talking gets louder. Businesses and customers are evaluating their holiday experiences this year and making plans for 2026. Major conferences in Mallorca on sustainable tourism are happening as you read this. My concentration is on the feedback from individual customers in the Soller Valley, and it is a very mixed bag. The majority who have stayed have enjoyed their visit. They are conscious of the ‘day trippers’ who saturate the centre in the middle of the day and they avoid that time.
The comments to watch are in the observations that while prices in hotels and restaurants have increased, value for money hasn’t. Cost cutting, from inferior toilet paper to no nuts and olives with your drink are all being noted. Opening times, and the increased two day a week closure of many restaurants in peak times, is not convenient for many visitors. When they arrive at the hotel to find all the extras which used to shout ‘welcome’ are no longer there, they wonder what they are paying for.
Increased staff costs, cost of living increases and the upsurge of fresh food costs are all part of the scene. The paying customer understands this but doesn’t want to be reminded of this fact on holiday.
They are increasingly choosing to make decisions for next year which doesn’t involve the angst of Mallorca.
Some have told me they feel ‘Mallorca is at war with itself’ and passing on the rhetoric to the holidaymakers who choose to come here. ‘I am on holiday looking to unwind and relax after a busy life at home. If I pay a lot of money, I don’t expect to have to be grateful to be served by stressed staff who cut corners on what used to be normal’.
In this conference and evaluation time – I wonder if anyone is listening…