There was a presentation on Wednesday for the new association of tour guides, which will come under the umbrella of the Pimem federation of small to medium-sized business associations.
At the presentation, the president, José Antonio Sobreviela, explained that an app has been developed to fight "intrusion". It will be a tool "to make visible a problem that we regularly see on the streets, such as unqualified guides showing people Palma Cathedral".
The app will be able to geolocate intrusive activity. A database will then identify "hotspots" of this activity. It has been developed with the aim of giving "maximum support" to professionals who are especially vulnerable to intrusion.
Sobreviela otherwise spoke about the encouraging indicators for the coming tourism season. For his sector of activity, there has in fact been a 50% increase in bookings. "Over the past three weeks, these have increased exponentially to levels that we did not have in 2021." Last year, he noted, was full of ups and downs, with a succession of reservations but cancellations.
Of specific tourism sectors, he pointed to significant recovery in MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and cruises, both of which were hit particularly hard by the pandemic. The increase in reservations, he noted, "is centred on quality tourism".