Viewpoint

Majorca’s tourism markets

Andrew EdePalma01/07/2020 01:18

Will Majorca now be forgetting about the development of “new” tourism markets? Top of the list of these alternative and high-spending markets have been China and the USA. The Council of Majorca had been interested in establishing direct air routes with the USA, while the now former director of the government’s tourism agency had once taken himself off to Shanghai in order to pursue possibilities.

Rather more important than just a diversification of the tourism base, these markets were being craved because of the spending power. They were also markets apparently less dominated by the appeal of sun and beach than others; hence, they were perceived as being good for tackling the great disadvantage of seasonality. The ambitions for these markets will doubtless be revisited, but the immediate future does not extend to them. This future in fact extends no further than those traditional markets which, on occasion, have appeared to be disparaged because they conform to a model of tourism that Majorca has made a very good living out of for decades.

When the immediate future became paramount, to whom did Majorca turn? To whom could Majorca turn? A lesson of Covid may well be - should be - a renewed appreciation of loyalty and the need for the loyalty of long-established markets to be honoured and reciprocated. New markets by all means, but never let it be forgotten how Majorca came to have its wealth and who provided this wealth.