"Tourism to the annus horribilis" is the headline of the article by Sebastian Escarrer, who as Chairman of Exceltur lobby, has published The World of Baleares, entitled "2009 Reforms can not be postponed ". (I can not find in any editions of this header today, so I can not include here the direct link).
The first interesting feature of the article is the finding of falling tourist numbers are already alarming in the last quarter of the year, and its evolution during 2009 will probably still more negative.
is important to note that only EXCELTUR has dared to "contradict" the official versions of that tourism is more responsive to crisis than other sectors. Jose Luis Zoreda, the director did a few weeks ago, after which he received a harsh response from various public authorities. Sebastian Escarrer Now, with the December 2008 data in hand, and a number of aggravating occurring, such as deepening of the dynamics of crisis in our main markets, and above all, by the fall quarter of their value , the British Pound, confirms the worst prospects.
In the last quarter of 2008, Spain lost 1.2% tourists in relation to the previous year and 3% Balearic ... But only in the month of December 2008, Spain lost 10.6% and 30% Baleares.
figures are shocking but not surprising. No need to be an expert in predictive models of demand - just need to know to add - to reach the conclusion that the fall in tourist arrivals in 2009 could be between 15% and 25%, which could reach 40% in certain markets issuers or English destinations, as the successive cuts in frequencies announced by the various operators (tour operator groups, and scheduled airlines and low costs) so indicated. Especially in the case of our two islands, they have no relevant options of arrivals by air.
there for my other new element in the approach of Mr. Escarrer, and is recognition of the magnitude of a crisis with a virulence never before experienced by generations of entrepreneurs who know (sic), which contrasts with the reactions many entrepreneurs and managers are still sectoral minimizing the problem child, arguing that tourism is cyclical, and this is just a cyclical change as many who have seen and passed over the last 50 years. Identifies
Sebastian Escarrer 4 main causes:
- The obsolescence of some of our destinations - or areas within them (ie: Playa de Palma).
- The lack of facilities for the arrival of more flights.
... and two derived from our regional management model, the lack of coordination in the promotion and dispersion and legislative powers.
Regarding the latter two factors, the difficulties on which I had a vocation to be a road map for tourism competitiveness, the Horizon 2020 plan, you get stuck on the definition of resource flows in the different bodies administrative, state, regional and local as well as the complexity of coordination of the different areas affecting tourism ministry.
claims that this is the time to address the problems with structural reforms and not with patches that reality makeover short, and under the hood, further eroding our competitiveness. Sebastian Escarrer
proposes 4 areas of structural reforms that serve as the basis on which to build the pillars that define our proposal, both to mitigate the effects of the current crisis, like us out stronger from it.
These are: bureaucratic, fiscal, labor (cheaper oriented hiring and not firing), and airport management.
applaud the courage and the opportunity Sebastian Escarrer and EXCELTUR, both highlighted in the objective facts of the situation and the current tourism provision, without trying to sugarcoat the reality, as in the opportunity to raise this at the moment, where we can still try to generate some maneuverability, or at least debate, facing the FITUR of next week.
At the same time I would make some additions to the positions of President of EXCELTUR.
On the causes of our weaknesses, we must add, to the four mentioned above, the destruction of our coast for over-planning, based on speculative criteria, and to maintain the construction machinery underway. This has helped to erode one of our key assets and has an extraordinarily complex and expensive solution.
addition, the inadequacy and dispersion of our promotion is aggravated by a fragmentation of products and brands - both in public and private - that not only add value but destroy it, since they produce a confusion in the consumer increases the likelihood that finally decided by a competitor.
Chapter of structural reforms, to what was proposed, I have to include two critical areas, knowledge and innovation as "nature", and training, both to give the best service in the current models (professional and managerial training), but to create, develop, and implement tourism models of the future.
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