Mallorca markets seek to keep locals amid tourist rise

Mallorca’s markets in Palma are drawing more tourists: traders meet on 25 and 26 October to work out how to keep the neighbours who shop there every week. The Spanish Confederation of Traditional Food Markets (Metrae) is holding its sixth annual gathering in the city, hosted by the Federation of Permanent Markets of the Balearic Islands.

The shoppers who keep markets going

Tourists are welcome, says federation president Aina Moyà, but regular local shoppers sustain the markets. She says traders in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia face the same balancing act, and wants to hear what those cities are doing about it.

The gathering opens with a working session under the motto “Neither a theme park nor a museum”. University lecturers, council trade officials and wholesale distribution executives from several cities will take part.

Moyà says market traders stand out through local produce and trust, not low prices. A fish seller knows which boat brought in the fish, she says, while a fruit seller knows which farm supplied the fruit.

Who will run the stalls next?

The programme will also look at nutrition, food and digital tools as ways for traditional traders to compete and bring in new customers. One session will focus on finding the next generation to take over market stalls. Young people need to see a stall as a business with a future, Moyà says.

The meeting will close with Metrae awards for initiatives from across Spain and a statement setting out its conclusions.

Topics: Tourism · Economy · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com