26/05/2012 00:00
TW
0

Palma.—Tourists will shortly be able to make official complaints to police and local authorities on their mobiles, and in their own language, Central Government sources said yesterday. “Segittur”, the State Organisation for promoting Technology in Tourism is working on the project in conjunction with the Ministry for the Interior.
The system will be devised such that official complaints from tourists - for example over robbery - can be made direct to a central hub where they will be registered by the Police. A legally recognised translation will then be made of the complaint and a copy sent post haste to the hotel or apartment where the tourist is staying for his or her signature.

The complaint is then logged onto judicial and law enforcement data bases and will receive prompt attention.
The process also means that the case can possibly be followed up through the law even after tourists have returned to their country of origin. The data base registry means that a legal representative can “take up the cudgel” on behalf of the victim in the event of the offender being tracked down, explained Segittur.

The “mobile phone complaint system” was just one of several measures being highlighted at a Tourism Ministry committee meeting last week. The committee reported how improvements in tourist facilities are increasingly involving new responsibilities across several ministries, promoting a more efficient response to the immediate needs of visitors to Spain.

Apart from the Ministry of Justice collaborating with the Tourism ministry on the mobile phone complaints system, the Environment department is assisting in widening the appeal of nature reserves and national parks for the tourist community.

The developments and improved facilities are being highlighted on internet site “Spain.info” which acts as a marketing tool overseas.
Meanwhile, Segittur is looking at creating a separate website “España es Cultura” (Spain is culture) specifically for the national Ministry for Culture. The project aims to open fresh doors for visitors who wish to explore the architectural, historical, gastronomic and broad cultural background of Spain.

At a time when the holiday industry has extended its horizons to all continents of the world, furthered “Segittur” sources yesterday, Central Government believes that relying on the attraction of “sun, sea and sand” holidays to keep Spain amongst the top rankings of the holiday industry is now insufficient.