12/09/2013 00:00
TW
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ALTHOUGH temperatures are still high, the face of most of the summer resorts is changing.
The beach promenades and bar terraces are no longer as crowded and the buzz associated with July and August is dying down.
It is at this time of year when the battle to capture a dwindling number of customers gets underway.
The marketing strategy to achieve this varies from bar to bar and restaurant to restaurant, and there are prices to suit all pockets.
However, it seems that it is not the decoration that attracts customers so much as the prices, and the lower the better, hence the wide range of prices, which vary greatly from one resort to another.

Tourists like to sit in the open air to enjoy a leisurely coffee or drink, and if their table overlooks the sea, so much the better.
But more often or not it is the blackboard or sign indicating the price which attracts their attention most.
Having a drink or a coffee in some areas can be very expensive, and prices of the products most in demand vary considerably, according to the results of a random survey conducted by the Bulletin's stablemate Ultima Hora.

These price differences have nothing to do with the quality or quantity, rather the prices are set according to what the owner wants to make during the months his business is open.

It can also depend on the nationality of the tourist.
In Arenal, for example, where Germans dominate the market, draft beer is dearer than in other areas of Majorca.
Sitting on a terrace on the beach front in Arenal, you may find a medium glass of beer can cost 1.95 euros compared to an average of 1.60 euros in Palma Nova, where most of the tourists are British. On the other hand, it is dearer to drink a bottle of water or a soft drink in Palma Nova than in Arenal, where it can cost up to 35 euro cents less.
But if what the tourist wants is to enjoy a glass of wine and an aperitif, the most expensive area is Magalluf, where it can cost nearly five euros, compared to 3.10 euros which it would cost in Ca'n Pastilla or Arenal. However, the biggest difference in prices is to be found in ice creams and coffee and cake, particularly in the German-dominated areas.
One of the most popular ice creams requested by tourists is the Banana Split, and there is a difference of nearly two euros between areas not so far apart as Palma Nova and Magalluf. There are also many tourists who, particularly in the low season, like to sit on a cafeteria terrace to enjoy coffee and cake.
Doing this in Palma Nova or Magalluf can cost you twice as much as doing it in Can Pastilla or Arenal.
This means that tourists will have a very different idea of how cheap or expensive a holiday in Majorca is, depending on the area where they stayed.
Some will think that the island is very expensive and that it is better to stock up with drinks for the beach in the supermarket.
Others will think that Majorca is cheaper than their own country, a paradise for going on a pub or cafe crawl.