Mr. Antich Goes To Berlin

Cycling, golf, Nordic walking, just three of the non-beach and sun attractions of Majorca with which the island hopes to woo all-year-round tourists, in particular those from Germany. All of them are on the list of promo items at the annual ITB holiday fair in Berlin, the biggest of Europe's yearly gatherings of the tourism clans.

There is a sense of déjà vu. This would be the same cycling, golf, Nordic walking, oh and gastronomy while they're at it, that have been wheeled out, teed up, legged along and cooked up for the past few years. Same old fair, same old list of minority-interest activities with which to entice a sceptical all-year tourist.

At least Balearic Government head honcho, Francesc Antich, seems prepared to forego getting out on the hustings to help his fellow PSOE comrade, President Zapatero, in the final days before the election. He's probably glad of the excuse, and has headed off to Berlin to press some flesh with the likes of TUI and Neckermann and explain how grand Majorca is for walking along with a couple of poles and looking generally idiotic - which is usually the case with Nordic walking.

Majorca, or rather Majorcan politicians and Majorcan tourist authorities, labour under a misapprehension that there is a vast market that is willing to come to Majorca in winter and indulge in sporting and culinary past-times. Majorca, while it has much to offer out of season and can be fantastic (as with the weather much of this winter), is in a straight competitive fight with other destinations and the hearts and marketing strategies of the tour operators. Sport, culture, gastronomy, these all pick at the edges. As a collection of niches, they do amount to something, but not nearly enough to incentivise hotels and bars and restaurants in any number to stay open out of season. Majorca, for all that it is a good all-year destination, has an image, and that image is more one of fun, sea and sun.

Large-scale attractions are more in keeping with this image. The tourist bodies try hard to alter this perception, but it is one that has been forged over many years. In an ideal world, people would flock to Majorca in winter for all the other things that Majorca has to offer. But the world is not ideal, and chances are that next year at the ITB fair there will be a list of reasons for coming out of season, and you know what, they'll be the same as this year's.

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