16/05/2003 00:00
TW
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By Humphrey Carter A new quality seal of approval is to be applied to restaurants in the Balearics in order to help the restaurant sector ensure that tourists are receiving the maximum quality services and products while also weeding out illegal competition.

The new restaurant association scheme has the full backing of the Ministry for Tourism. Association director Antoni Mas said yesterday that the new seal of approval will help people recognise establishments which are fully licensed and committed to providing quality service and products. “We want to crack down on the illegal competition which is generating a bad image of Majorca,” Mas said yesterday.

The restaurant quality seal is all part of the Quality Tourism Plan. Miguel Hernández, director of the Quality Tourism Institute, said that all restaurants are invited to take part in the programme, but in order to obtain the seal of approval, they have to meet certain criteria.

What is more, all the applicants will be inspected and senior management will be expected to attend quality training courses.
Once all this has been complied with and the establishment and staff have met at least 85 percent of all requirements then the seal of approval will be awarded. However, once issued, Hernández said that restaurants will have to work hard to hold on to their seal and a team of inspectors will be regularly checking.

ALL INCLUSIVE
The new restaurant quality scheme will be launched in time for the 2005-2006 summer season with a budget of 1.5 million euros funded by the Balearic government and the European Union.

Antoni Mas admitted yesterday that, while the new seal of approval will help control illegal competition and unfair pricing, it will not help the restaurant sector in its battle against the ever increasing number of all-inclusive hotel complexes in the Balearics.

Mas said that he understands the all-inclusive holiday package has enabled a number of hoteliers to “save their family holiday market,” but it's not the best image the Balearics could be projecting,” he said. However, he claimed that the all-inclusive boom is not the reason for the increase in resort prices. It is the general rate of inflation and local council rate hikes which have forced prices up.

There are nevertheless, parts of the restaurant industry which are “slightly scared” about the effects the 129 all-inclusive hotels will have on resort trade this summer.