Tourism - Mallorca Flashcards
Largest of Balearics - lying off east coast of Spain
one of the earliest European destinations to experience mass tourism in 60s
During the 60s, increased demand for holidays away from home
due to improvements in living standards; introduction of paid holidays; low value of Spanish peseta compared to other European currencies. Mallorca became a popular destination
Numbers visiting island grew rapidly - 400,000 in 1960
1972 - 3.5 million; 2015 - 12.5million (859,000 residents)
Most tourist development was, and still is, centred around coastal areas, in partic Calvia in SW of island
Approx 1.7 million visitors per annum to Magaluf, Santa Ponsa, Palma Nova.
Calvia (pop. 44,000) well suited to mass tourism
almost 60km of beaches and close to international airport in Palma
Traditional low-income farming in Calvia
prospect of better paid jobs in hotels and tourist facilities - rapid increase in hotels - but little regard given to long-term impact on environment or quality of tourist experience
Tourism brought an immediate boost to economy of Mallorca almost two-thirds employed either directly(hotels, restaurants) or indirectly (estate agents/food processing)
Overall 84% of Mallorca’s GNP connected to tourism
Young, economically active population moved from rural interior to find seasonal employment in tourist areas
…at height of mass tourism boom in Calvia, unemployment rates about 4% lower than any other region in Spain and average family income 30% above
NEGATIVE SOCIAL IMPACTS Mass tourism did have some disadvantages
Some tourist developments financed abd designed by international travel operators leaving only semi-skilled and manual jobs for locals
NEGATIVE SOCIAL IMPACTS Work in service sector offered little opp for promotion or career advancement
Much of work seasonal; long, anti-social hours
NEGATIVE SOCIAL IMPACTS by late 70s, English, Irish, German owned bars serving English/German food to cater for tourists
…very little traditional Mallorcan architecture or culture in coastal region; and little evidence of interaction between tourists and locals. By 80s Mallorca had acquired a negative image of packed beaches and rowdy bars and nightclubs
NEGATIVE SOCIAL IMPACTS Traditional way of life in Mallorca affected. farmers sold land to developers who built villas out of character
Many of these villas sold as second homes to wealthy Northern Europeans - didn’t integrate with Mallorcans - resentment
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Also serious environmental problems associated with uncontrolled tourism
Seasonal influx of tourists - heavy demand on scarce water resources - landscaping of hotel gardens, building of golf courses, swimming pools, provision of showers. Expensive desalinization of seawater
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Water situation worse for locals who found it difficult to compete with tourist demand
Locals resentful of golf courses
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Undue stress on already inadequate waste disposal systems
Coastal waters polluted
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Natural coastline dramatically altered - in Calvia beaches extended by 13% in a 20 year period and sand dunes cleared for apartment blocks
Most of natural dune vegetation and wildlife habitats destroyed
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Within tourist centres, landscapes altered - building of promenades/other tourist amenities
Increase in tour buses and other vehicles led to increased air pollution
NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Mallorca faced a crisis in late 80s - in Calvia, tourist numbers fell by almost 20% between 1988 and 1991
In part due to other tourist destinations eg Florida and the Caribbean but also due to decline in quality of Mallorca’s tourism product. This highlights the lack of sustainability in Mallorca’s tourism development. Local residents faced an increase in unemployment and a fall in living standards
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) emphasized importance of implementing sustainable practices through local level projects - Local Agenda 21 (LA21). In Mallorca, Calvia formulated its own LA21 programme for sustainable tourism. Lines of action and initiiatives from LA21 included:
Building clearance plan; compulsory purchase of land to prevent further construction and demolition of five hotels
Upgrading quality of tourist accommodation to attract a higher-end clientele
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA LA21
Upgrading physical environment in Magaluf and Palma Nova with pedestrian zones, green zones and planting
Constructing 32km of cycleways and walkways
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA LA21
Imposing strict planning regulations on all new building projects regarding density of occupancy, waste disposal and energy conservation
Launching campaigns to raise awareness of conservation of water and energy
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA LA21
Introducing schemes to direct tourism away from coast into activities such as hill walking, cycling and golfing
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA LA21
Implementing measures to minimize erosion of beaches - reducing need for beach nourishment; removing need to dredge off-shore and damage marine ecosystems
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA LA21
Charge an eco-tax in hotels to generate income for environmental protection measures
Introduce a system of eco-labels for hotels and other tourist facilities - awarded to establishments which adhered to energy conservation guidelines
Involve local communities in planning through a Citizen’s Forum
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA ACHIEVEMENTS Many positive outcomes from Mallorca’s tourism management policy
Calvia region modernised and built environment enhanced and landscaped
Many hotels upgraded from 3 to 4 or 5 star to attract wealthier tourists
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA ACHIEVEMENTS
Tourist numbers increased following modernization programme and tourist season extended beyond peak winter months
Marked increase in range of activities - golf, walking, cycling
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA ACHIEVEMENTS
Greater emphasis on recreational activities for children - encouraged more families to come to Mallorca.
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA ACHIEVEMENTS
Environmental protection schemes such as coastal defences and building regulations have operated successfully in most cases
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA SETBACKS
Eco tax, which was to be used to fund environmental schemes, faced strong opposition and was dropped within a year
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA SETBACKS
Calvia, particularly Magaluf has retained its image as a destination for young English and German tourists seeking cheap accommodation, alcohol nightclubs, fast food. A number of anti-social behavior incidents and the death of three tourists in 2014 prompted local authorities to take action. Consumption of alcohol banned on streets between 10pm and 8am. Also restrictions on pub crawls.
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA SETBACKS
240 million Euro invested in Magaluf and adjoining Palma Nova to improve infrastructure and construct up-market restaurants and bars
TOURISM MGMT IN MALLORCA SETBACKS
persistent negative image of Magaluf has prompted planners to avoid any reference, preferring to use Calvia instead.
A new eco-tax of 2 Euros per visitor re-instated in 2016, with aim of reducing numbers coming to island. (Similar - Barcelona)
MALLORCA TOURISM SUMMARY Mallorca aptly demonstrates the potential negative social and environmental impacts which can result from mass tourism
The mgmt. policies introduced have brought about environmental improvements and tourism has been extended away from cast across entire region.
MALLORCA TOURISM SUMMARY
Considerable involvement of local people in decision making process on developments. This stands in marked contrast to some of earliest developments - international tour operators.
MALLORCA TOURISM SUMMARY
Upgrading and rebranding schemes aimed at a higher spending tourist is an increasingly popular strategy. However, still many English and German bars and restaurants and limited social integration between locals and tourists.
MALLORCA TOURISM SUMMARY
Finally, important to realise that tourism is a dynamic industry. Terror attacks, eg Tunisia (2015), Nice (2016) have redirected tourists to perceived ‘safe’ locations including Spain and the Balearics.
MALLORCA TOURISM SUMMARY
Am estimated 13 million tourists visited Mallorca in 2016, up 2m from 2015. In addition, increase in number of cruise ship visitors, with 524 ships docking in Palma in 2016. On one day alone, over 20,000 cruise ship passengers disembarked to spend a day in Palma and surroundings. These increased visitor numbers bring short term economic gain but also present renewed challenges to the island and to those responsible for its management.
