MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN

Annexe 2
Etudes de cas
Case studies
- The concentration of the tourist supply in the area allows the existence of a
"critical mass" offer, which guarantees a remarkable presence in the channels -
of tourist commercialisation.
The above mentioned tourist supply in Benidorm is characterised by the
considerable volume of dynamic places, mainly in hotels, whose management
responds to business criteria permitting, among other effects, a greater capacity to
gain tourists as well as higher occupancy rates, in contrast with the tourismoriented
real estate promotions carried out in other coastal areas. Both the sizes of
the offer and the modernisation efforts on the part of the establishments, which
have counted on public incentives, are elements showing an interesting
entrepreneurial dynamism. The inclusion of Benidorm as an action area within the
framework of the Plan de Calidad Hotelera (Hotel Quality Plan) designed by the
Instituto para Ia Calidad Hotelera Española (The Institute for Hotel Quality in
Spain), represents a symptomatic bet on the part of businessmen, with the aim of
creating a competitive advantage through the application of a quality system, in
parameters for which well adjusted prices constitute a fundamental competitive
argument making it compulsory to maintain high occupancy rates in order to
guarantee the firms' profitability. Therefore, the optimisation of value for money
has become the essential referent for Benidorm-based hotel enterprises.
The accommodation supply is complemented by leisure offer under constant
renewal, which allows high satisfaction levels on the part of the demand. This offer
is very varied, since it ranges from entertainment facilities, both during the day
and at night, to a very frequented water park, also including an extensive schedule
of excursions to nearby attractive tourist resorts. In this context, the future theme
park, "Terra Mí tica", will mean a great support for the destination's leisure offer.
In addition to the destination's distinctive aspects and closely related to them,
Benidorm's market projection is another great deseasonalising factor. The
destination's good positioning in its main markets, the domestic one and the
British one, is indisputable and has a reflection on the high level of fidelity and
confidence, both on the part of the final consumer and in the commercialisation
channels, among which stand out British tour operators. Throughout the year, each
tourist season is identified with a specific public, which means we are witnesses of
a combination of different demand segments in the same destination.
Related to what we have dealt with so far, we would like to draw your attention to
the address made by M. Brakenbury, President of the International
Federation of Tour Operators (IFTO) in the National Congress on Tourism, held in
Madrid last November, in which after laying emphasis on the importance of
Benidorm as a very useful example of how the problem of seasonality can be solved:
"Benidorm is a town which looks very much like a theatre in which different
shows are presented one after the other throughout the year. Shows in July and
August are for the young ones; in May, June, September and October, these shows
are for family-oriented; and between November and Apr11 shows are for -over 55
years olds. It is as if one show finished on October 31st, and the following one
started at that very moment. Everything changes. Consequently, Benidorm shows
very successful activity all year round".
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Plan Bleu