TOURIST INDUSTRY: THIS IS SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Dear Sir, Today I visited the Miguel Barcelo exhibition, at La Lonja. On leaving as the evening was pleasant we decided to sit down and have a cup of tea. On a board at a cafeteria on the square, it stated, in three languages “coffee and cake three euros”, so as it was tea time we told the waiter we would have a tea instead, he pointed out the cakes which, looked a little weary, and recommended a particular flavour. I replied that I hoped that it was good, as we were not tourists! meant as a joke. My husband is Majorcan and I have lived here many years. Well the tea and cake arrived, the tea was a variety of hot water and the miserable piece of cake was hidden under some very flat spray can “cream”. O.K so what, this is a tourist trap and I should know better! The tourists around me were eating early dinner, I speak a number of languages and not one meal was good, the waiter was telling diners that this was typical Majorcan “cuisine”.... what an image that presents to overseas visitors! My husband and his family are involved in the tourist business on the island, as well as being a member of the academy of Majorcan wine and food. (Your critic Andrew Valente a frequent visitor) and most Majorcans are very concerned about the drop in tourism; they wish to promote the best of the island and give the visitors value for money and good quality. I seem to remember a promotion by the local government “A tourist a friend” may I add so RIP HIM OFF...... ONCE YOU HAVE GAINED HIS CONFIDENCE! Well the cake turned out to be like rubber and we were charged ... 12 euros not as I had thought 2x3? because of course I trustingly assumed that the offer on the chalk board would also mean tea which often is cheaper than coffee. The waiter said yes he would have thought that way too, but he was just carrying out orders. I asked where the boss was, and was informed that the boss only appeared for a short visit each day at around five o clock. I am very annoyed, once at home I remembered, the old LIBRO DE RECLAMACIONES which one used to see displayed in restaurants, but in those times meals at reasonable prices were usually quite reliable. But it was not just that I felt deceived and ripped off, I felt furious that so many tourists on that terrace had a bad experience and would never return, the waiter stated that they almost never had return diners! Imagine if that experience was repeated to encompass all the Island! What would the politicians do? This island has no other industry, it was a poor island before the tourist industry, and it must be looked after. I believe that there are some politicians who don't want outsiders, even to printing exhibition leaflets only in Majorcan (often Catalan not even Majorcan!) which excludes the Spanish from the peninsula; don't they remember how the money was made? I saw the four large cruise ships in the port, about to sail, after a day on the island, each carrying around 1200 passengers & crew. Think of the money that brings in, to the shops, the excursions, the restaurants and bars each day during the summer! What sort of impression does the “experience” that I had today create for repeat visits, whilst there are greedy short sighted business people and politicians who give not a fig for the future prosperity of the Island? Many people in business have said that we have had two poor years and by the look of it, things will not improve very fast, perhaps less tourism may create a bit of healthy competition and raise standards? They certainly could not have been much lower than where we were today!