Pedro Fiol is the president of Aviba, the Association of Balearic Travel Agents and made it quite clear to the Bulletin this week that the Balearics, in particular Mallorca, has to design a clear and definite roadmap with regard to the future of the island’s tourist industry. “Post-Covid, the industry has changed, everybody is desperate to go on holiday and this is obviously having an impact on the industry and booking trends. But that will eventually calm down within the next few years, so we need to be thinking beyond that and certainly not panicking or protesting. “This season has not been a bad one, it’s been a good one, but it has been very different and challenging for a number of reasons.
Overcrowding
“To begin with, tourists are coming to Mallorca for fewer days, but occupancy is the same, which translates into more overcrowding. Because all visitors want to see the most emblematic areas of the island, this is why they suffer more saturation. A family that comes to Mallorca for a week goes once to emblematic areas such as Es Caló des Moro or the Cathedral. However, if they go out twice, these places will receive two visits and this, multiplied by thousands of tourists, has a very important impact”. Therefore, he recognises that in Mallorcan society there is a certain unease about overcrowding and proof of this are the demonstrations against tourist overcrowding.
“However, I would like to ask the protesters two key questions. One, in what sector do they work; is it directly or indirectly connected to tourism? And secondly, have they ever been on holiday and if so have they paid great attention to whether their hotel or destination is sustainable, eco-friendly, promotes recycling, for example, and do they go out of season when the destination is quieter so not to add to the human footprint many other destinations in the world are suffering from? It’s not just Mallorca,” he made clear. “So, yes, hotel occupancy is good, but the rotation in guests is causing complications. The traditional one or two week package holiday is something of the past, so hotels have to fill the gaps with short stays and this leads to more flights and more transfer coaches or hire cars on the roads.
“But many of the island’s problems have simple and quick solutions. If there are not enough public buses to provide a proper public transport service for tourists and residents, then buy more buses, increase services. If there aren’t enough trains, well do the same. We don’t need to pay for expensive surveys and reports when the solutions are obvious. I have a foot in both camps. I work with incoming and outgoing tourists, domestic and foreign, so I see the full picture and hear the arguments from both sides.
I care deeply about Mallorca
“Furthermore, as a Mallorcan, contrary to what some of the protesters think about us in the tourist industry, I care deeply about protecting and preserving Mallorca. I live here and I want to enjoy this beautiful island, but we’ve all got make a living and that living, for the vast majority of people, comes from tourism. And I’m afraid the complementary sector has suffered this year.”
Fiol insists on the need for tourism to be respectful, while stressing the need for visitors and tourists to be able to live together in harmony. “We cannot forget that our main economic engine is tourism. Moreover, at some point in our lives we all like to be tourists,” he concluded. He also pointed out that it is not in Mallorca’s interest as a tourist destination to be identified with overcrowding, as it would lose part of its appeal. On this point, Fiol highlights the role of tour operators, as it makes the average stay on the island longer, although he insists that it is moving further and further away from the average of seven nights of a few years ago.
The Aviba president pointed out that 34% of the tourists who come to Mallorca do so by means of tour operators, and he adds that if it were not for this, “it would have averages similar to those of an urban destination”. He also stressed that “Palma city is dragging these figures down”.
This is due to the fact that people who travel on their own tend to do so for fewer days, while when they buy a package the stays tend to be longer, “thus reducing the feeling of tourist overcrowding”. Plus, inflation has risen across Europe. The pillars of the tourist industry, the UK and Germany, have been rocked by financial and political problems and that has a knock-on effect on tourism and spending.
Price is always king
“So, like I said, there’s a post-Covid hunger to go on holiday, but not everybody’s got the money to spend in resort, hence why restaurants, bars and shops are struggling and think it will be the same next year until everyone calms down. That said, we never know what’s gong to happen next geopolitically, so we always have to be on our guard,” Fiol stressed. “And when people are watching their money and price is always king for the majority of people when booking and budgeting for a holiday, they want value for money. What we can’t have is hotels and airlines putting up their prices by between 15 and 20 percent and then offering the same services and quality as the year before. We have to provide value for money and that is another area proving problematic because we’re facing a skills gap.
“Due to the high cost of living in Mallorca and across the Balearics, we’re no longer getting qualified staff from the mainland and if young Mallorcans don’t want to work in the service sector, many employers can’t be choosy. Even I’m having to look to Latin America for staff. So we have to start thinking about how as an industry we can attract more local residents into the sector, train them well and make sure they stay on the island and don’t flee overseas where wages and working conditions, more often than not, are more attractive,” he said. “The demographics are changing. Yes, the new Forum of Civil Society in Mallorca has been set up to work on addressing the problems Mallorca’s tourist industry faces but to be honest, it’s all talk.
We can’t sell everything
“The trouble is that Mallorca has lost a bit of control of the market, what it offers. There is so much ‘on sale’ if you like, from sporting tourism, nautical, activity, well-being, the Tramuntana, culture, gastronomy, off-season, residential, urban, weekend breaks, the list goes on. We can’t simply sell everything, that will only lead to more massification and confusion in the market. We need to sit down and redefine what tourism in Mallorca is. Reach a clear decision on what we want and then sell it properly. We need to adapt to the changing market while also keeping a very close eye on competing and emerging destinations. We need to have a clear roadmap for the future
Transmit the right message
“But in the short term we have to make sure we transmit the right message because perception is crucial. What we can’t afford is to have double standards, double morals. Yes, there is a lack of affordable housing and wages which are not in line with inflation. These should be the slogans for the protests which are anti-government policy, not anti-tourism.
Perception
“But the perception overseas and in the international media is that tourists are the root cause and are therefore not wanted. This is certainly not the case and someone senior in government, for example the president of the Balearics, should go to the UK and Germany and address the media and make this clear.
“The United Kingdom and Germany are the foundations, the pillars of our tourist industry and we have got to make sure they remain strong because we can’t afford to see the tourist industry falter. So we need an honest debate and, where possible, quick and simple solutions.
Double standards
“And talking about double standards and morals, we have a section of the community which does not want cruise ships. The trouble is, and I know because it’s part of my and my members’ business, that the most popular holidays for Mallorcans are cruises departing from Palma, so let’s put our cards on the table,” he added. “We can’t afford to cheat tourists, we have to be clear and honest, we need to know in which direction we want our industry to go for the benefit of everyone,” he stressed.