By Soller Shirley
The analysis has started on this year’s winners and losers in the summer tourism world of 2024. Many resorts are in the final two weeks of their season as they shut their doors on 31st October 2024. Some businesses, which normally would be working till way into November, have decided not to this year. The main reason given is that ‘while the footfall is huge, the number of people spending money is not’.
The Soller Valley is a day trip destination, for carloads of people, with a picnic in the boot. Little intention of spending money here apart from the parking ticket. The figures filtering through are that some restaurants are reporting a 30% drop in takings from 2023. An early Easter gave the impression that this was going to be busiest season ever but that turned out not to be true.
The hotels are telling a different story. Their occupancy is said to be higher than last year. Some are changing their business model to be open 11 months a year with a close down for one month, in January, for staff holidays.
New restaurants have opened and report a great start for their beginnings here. The test for all of them will come when the high-end spenders go off to winter in Switzerland ski resorts or the Caribbean. Many locals will find the newer openings impossible to afford, no matter how good. Every business has to look at the customer base, every month. No-one can afford not to take a seasonal overview.
To take the temperature of the Soller Valley currently is easy. So much anger and words bemoaning the late focus on what really needed to happen here in 2024. Car parking, traffic control, bus timetables to match the numbers of users. All these were known and anticipated as problems this time last year. The odd pop-up car park has appeared and a row of very unpopular ugly barriers, to stop parking on the main road. A sticking plaster over a very deep wound.
When the Soller world is busy most energy is concentrated on work and earning money. As the jobs go into winter mode some vocal protestors have more time. The winter of discontent is just about to begin. All the issues from affordable housing for local people to the lack of an integrated transport system around Soller are all out there. Add to this the poor street lighting and lack of accessible toilets and let the rhetoric begin. The Town Hall has been addressing these issues verbally all year. I hope their action plan will begin.
The planning department of the Town Hall here is under criticism for lack of town planning staff, authorised to give building permissions. Many new friends who have lodged plans are waiting for up to two years before permission to start work is granted. All ‘would be’ house renovators know this from the start of the project. The Estate Agents of Soller are an honourable bunch and keep buyers fully appraised of local planning timetables. We all have friends in other parts of the island where the Soller state of affairs is a laughingstock. Some have permission for their works, in other municipalities, in less than six months. Money for plans is lodged with the Town Hall when the application is first made. This is just an accepted order of things. The fact you have contributed in advance does not mean you are treated any quicker. Two businesses ready to create employment for others recently, have pulled out of projects rather than wait any longer.
We live in the Soller Valley where the community is vibrant and interesting. The surrounding beauty and quirky way of life is our daily pleasure. The frustrations of political inactivity and more words than actions, is our way of life, and we know that eventually things will happen. In the meantime, we all have to know what we are going to do with the irritations. Moan, lobby, join a protest group or try to make a difference in whatever way works for you. The winter of discontent is here and needs work from us all.
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