Majority of tourists still want Œsun and beach´ holidays

Why the British are not now flooding to Spain on holiday

Daily Mirror. Stating the facts of present day tourists´ preferences

The cost of a family holiday in Spain is almost double that of a similar stay in Bulgaria and, once there, the average price of a meal is more than double

C.M.W..Maó

The following is a translation of part of the article written by Fernando Serrano Llabres which appeared in the ŒMenorca´ last week and is reproduced here in English at the request of several people connected with tourism on the island.

"...with only a few days remaining until the height of the present season, nobody now has any doubt that it is worse than last year. Many people were counting on Spanish tourism to fill the gap left by the falling British market, which provides our daily bread. But this has not been the case and, except for the first fortnight in August, many places will remain empty for the rest of the season.

Do you remember those days of overbooking? During the past few days the pages of the ŒMenorca´ have included various opinions on tourism, its promotion, who should do it, how it should be done, and where. A phrase which is ever more frequently being repeated is "the days of the sun and beach formula for tourists have finished".

With due respect, I do not agree. The formula is still valid. The great majority of tourists who come to Menorca (mainly from the English and German markets) are seeking the sun and beach option. To put it another way: they are looking for a warmer climate that is better than that which they have in their own country, and the sun which we habitually have here guarantees that. And they want to be able to go to the beaches which they don´t have and which we offer them in all our publicity photographs.

And, photographically, we offer them clean beaches, almost virginal, beneath a splendid sun.

...And what do they find on their arrival here? Sun on the majority of days, but some beaches which are crowded, full of hired sunbeds, and many of which are dirty. Dirt which in many cases is caused by algae decomposing in the sun, which smells terrible, and which our pusillanimous politicians dare not remove, for fear of confrontion with GOB and becoming the object of its (the ecological association´s) criticism. Also there are the continuous works which disturb the peace ceaselessly, not only in the towns but also in the coastal resorts.

High prices to blame

If to this we add that the prices which we charge for all the complementary services are clearly abusive (and occasionally plain daylight robbery) we shouldn´t find it strange that they don´t return to Menorca and that they seek other destinations for their next holidays.

The British press stated it clearly (Daily Mirror, 7th July) "As Brits turn their backs on the Costa del Sol - The reign of Spain is over".

Statistically 20% fewer (tourists) are coming to Spain, 10% fewer to France and Greece, whilst Florida has risen by 15%, Turkey by 10%, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic by 20%. A similar thing is occurring in Morocco and Hungary, and both Egypt and Tunisia have grown by 200%! Apart from the story told by the statistics, there is a clear downward trend in British tourists who come to Spain, whilst they now show preference for rival countries.

The fundamental motive for this change is not the exhaustion of the sun and beach formula. It is the cost of the holidays. To come to Spain a family pays 1,750 euros, while the same holiday in Bulgaria costs 980 euros.

The sun and the beaches are the same in both destinations.

A typical Œmenú del día´ for a family in a restaurant here costs an average of 48 euros, whilst the same there is priced at only 20 euros. And we could continue to give many more examples, but I will mention just one that I have experienced myself: I have paid 3.20 euros for a simple Coca Cola in a bar in Fornells, that is, 524 old pesetas! I call this purely and simply, robbery.

We don´t have to look for other motives or excuses: the sun and the beaches are still there. That is what they are seeking. They don´t want to be the object of abusive prices. The vast majority of tourists are seeking sun and beach and some adequate services, but they are not stupid and they look for those who give them these at a reasonable price.

No-one likes to be the object of abuse or robbery. And I fear that this is what many are doing. In a free market economy, the buyer can choose and buy wherever it is most expedient. And that is what the tourists are doing".