Tourists seen near Palma's Cathedral during the winter months. | P. PELLICER
Palma02/11/2023 15:22
Mallorca could be on the eve of a new tourism dawn. According to the latest ABTA travel trends, since the pandemic there has been a marked increase in the number of people travelling outside of peak periods.
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It's actually not really a "chance". If the demand is there, they will come (and demand appears to be increasing). The important thing for sustainability of winter visitors is to consistently deliver a pleasing experience for them. This is where the government in cooperation with the private sector can help. First, by investing in infrastructure, such as street maintenance, cleaning, landscaping, beautification etc. (Palma is already investing a lot there). But also effective petty crime control.. (pickpockets, ripoffs, etc. Some work still needs to be done here). Second, encouraging private investment in restaurant and shop maintenance, beautification, etc. It's not unusual for cities to devise a minimum standard of presentation for businesses and residential buildings (that may already be ordinated) . However, making it cheap isn't going to make it better, nor attract quality tourism. Making it great will though. Anyone who's been to Zurich lately can attest to that. It's ridiculously expensive (OTT IMO), yet still packed with tourists. But the experience is excellent, and that's the attraction.
This is potentially great news for Palma. Cities that offer all year round city breaks to tourists thrive and offer employment security to locals. But the city needs to deliver value for money in its shops, restaurants, bars and attractions and security on its streets otherwise the tourists will stay away.