He is taking on this new role at a time of great debate about the tourism model. He says that the key challenge is the transformation of the tourism offer. "There is a lot of talk about problems arising from tourist flows, believing that the solution lies there, but the solution is to transform the offer, quantitatively and qualitatively. Meanwhile, I am perplexed when I hear the situation described in such an alarming way using terms such as overcrowding. We have a series of problems and someone has called these overcrowding. But the problem here is a lack of political management over the last 15 years."
Transformation, he argues, will come from incentives for investment, as were facilitated by the 2012 tourism law (a Partido Popular law). "This allowed one billion euros in investment."
It has often been said over the years that Mallorca and the Balearics could die of success, but he suggests that the islands could "die of inaction". In this respect, he is supportive of the government's social and political pact for sustainability.
"What President Prohens has done is very intelligent. We are going to address the real problems by listening to everyone. The problem is not that a lot of people come here, the problem is that if you don't transform the supply, those people will continue to come. If not, how do you prevent them? Are you going to put police in their airports of origin so that they don't come? Restrict air traffic?"
Margalida Ramis of the environmentalists GOB has been critical of the pact, arguing that it is all about moving the islands in the direction of tourism of an elite. On this, Vázquez says: "We must make brave decisions. There are supply profiles that no longer have a place. The democratisation of tourism sounds great to me, but I want the tourist with high added value. And for that, we must put a product on sale that those profiles that I don't want cannot afford."
This therefore relates to price, and he is firm in a view that prices should be high. "If you have an attractive offer, that segment of demand with greater spending capacity will come. Lowering prices is not the way, because we would once again get segments of demand that do not interest us."
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We must increase hotel prices and make it difficult for more foreign residents. By eliminating UK and Germans residents, a better service will be offered to tourists and Mallorcans and we will not have the island as overcrowded as we have.
BeachcomberAs I replied to your previous comment on a similar article, the narrow gauge Sóller railway is a private company and is not part of public owned Ferrocarriles de Mallorca. It’s now mainly a tourist attraction and the company will only be interested in what brings in the cash. Neither acquiring more of these wooden trains nor running later trains is likely to interest them financially.
That’s the new economic model . Arrive at the airport, travel to the hotel and stay inside until you travel home. And people complain now about all inclusive damaging the local trade. !,,,. Now. For Majorca to shed its beech , beer and bed model, it will need variety and local content. Many of the existing resorts are past it are shabby, the Areas around the upmarket Nixie palace are like walking into 1969, with updated graffiti. Casa Pepe supermarket replaced by Eroski and Lidl. If you just want a 5* hotel go to Dubai.
Yes squeeze out the all inclusive market hotels/visitors and redeploy the staff if they are island based into the more upmarket hotels. Also abolish the ban on Lettings , just ensure that all properties rented out meet rigorous health and safety standards. In addition quickly reopen and expand the railway system and ensure more trains run on the Sóller railway and much longer in the evening as it closes far too early and appears to be run for the benefit of the staff rather than passengers with a small number of trains and short hours. Security on the trains and the Palma terminus needs also to be improved.
As a hotelier, he would say that wouldn't he? (....and he is firm in a view that prices should be high). Putting his room rates up will please his board and his stakeholders. But you can't have expensive hotels alongside cheap restaurants and shops. So in turn they'll put their prices up and then the locals will be out protesting again that everything is unaffordable to them. Back to square one. To re-position Mallorca as a middle to high-end destination will take much thought, full cooperation amongst operators and a great deal of time. But, as we say in marketing, nothing is impossible.
Sigh. It’s always the Mallorca answer to everything. Put the price up! However, without making improvements to the quality of the offer and the island’s infrastructure at the same time, the value people will feel they are getting will reduce, along with the profile of tourist desired, as they’ll find elsewhere.
Its not brain surgery. Price the lower ranks out of the market. Simples.