Towards change

“Singapore still had room at that time.“, from the Spanish edition of Book of Supplications of Useless Knowledge By Simon Lees.

Citizen mobilization warns that we need to “change course and put restrictions on tourism”; this is the slogan of the demonstration called by various organizations and civil bodies. Two questions in the same proposal, immediately, the question is: how to do it? The most direct and exciting answer would be: among all. Mobilization, in itself, is a way of participation, perhaps the first and simplest, and an expression of the vitality of the social body. It represents a synthesis of a strong collective longing, which can become the spark of change. In protest, there is always an idea of ​​where to go, and in this case, to do so in order to change the course of the country.

In fact, a demonstration is the first response and the most direct and vocal expression of opposition, but it is not enough for a demonstration. For some time now, various social groups, from different walks of life, have been demanding to pause to think about the future and determine the state strategy, from the perspective of the people and the collective interest. They are demanding to meet the challenges of today’s society with a post-pandemic sense of solidarity and joint effort, democratization and institutional rehabilitation. In short, it is to strengthen the empowerment of society and ordinary people in the face of the economy and market interests, expressing sovereignty through the exercise of individual and collective rights.

As soon as people began to take to the streets, in various mass demonstrations to express their discontent and concern about the current situation, the government called for a social and political pact for the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the Balearic Islands at a meeting held at the Conference. Hospitality School. Does this pact represent a necessary pause to draw up a national strategy? If taking a break means stopping the path towards the abyss you want to avoid, then it certainly does not. It would be something else, but it is not a break to move forward together. The government, while maintaining the rhetoric of borders and sustainability, continues to take important steps towards expansion and unlimited growth. Its words do not match its actions.

It would not be entirely correct to think that without a strategy you simply drift, and the result of not having one would be much worse. Not having a collective plan does not mean that there is no one who does not have a plan for you: the Balearic Islands have become a successful area that has become the object of desire of the markets, where everything will be subject to transformation – itself in a business vacuum. The government strategy favours the market, not the people, and this leads us to the absurdity in which we are. To overcome this situation, from an economic point of view, the main lines of the strategy for transition to another model must be essentially two plans: a reduction in the supply of tourist accommodation and diversification into new sectors.

The reasons for the decrease in supply, even to a significant extent, are multiple. First, because in relation to the market, and with the current legal powers, the influence on supply is only within the reach of society. The real ability to influence demand is small and its risks remain. In addition, the decrease in supply, at the present time, represents an additional opportunity, to be able to convert tourist facilities into social housing, without consuming new land, by repairing or rebuilding existing buildings.

But the change in the uses of tourist accommodation must go further, as well as the expansion of the creation of parks and green spaces, social, cultural and recreational services facilities, in order to improve the quality of life of popular neighborhoods. In a similar context, in the face of the impact of climate change and sea level rise, it is absolutely necessary to implement a coastal dismantling plan to eliminate, as much as possible, the impacts and occupations that seriously hinder coastal dynamics.

The alternative to reducing supply has always been to work on demand, by controlling the entry gates, especially airports, with the idea of ​​reducing openingsIt is clear that if there is a limitation in demand, without a decrease in supply, at least in the short term, this will lead to a price war with undesirable effects. Therefore, effective control of ports and airports will not be advisable without a policy of reducing supply.

Low supply under discussion

Unions in particular fear that the decline in supply will lead to the destruction of jobs. On this subject, the first thing to say is that the decline in supply cannot be understood without talking about diversifying the economy, and thus creating other jobs in new areas of the economy. However, the reality of the current labor situation in the tourism sector is technically full employment, thanks to the expansion of the workforce, which is the result of increased commitment to workers’ vacations and the increase in the category of establishments. Indeed, job creation depends on multiple factors, which does not prevent the quality of jobs from being an important third element in the equation of degrowth and diversification.