THE ADJACENT POSSIBLE: MAPPING THE PROBLEM

THE WICKED PROBLEM AS INSPIRATION

Rittel and Webber (1973, p. 161-167) defined the wicked problem as a unique symptom of another problem that is neither true or false, nor good or bad. There is no ultimate test or immediate solution to this kind of issue. The academic paper also points out that the most “intractable problems” is that of defining the actual problem (ibid., p. 159), or locating exactly where the trouble finds itself.

The wicked problem of mass tourism in Mallorca is difficult to solve because of its complex and interconnected social and cultural nature. Low-cost, mass tourism affects important varied aspects of the financial and environmental well-being of the island, from lack of revenue into the local economy along with the issues surrounding redevelopment and gentrification, to increased waste and pollution problems (Yoeli-Rimmer, 2017).

My exploration initially took place with this problem in mind. In regards to lean design thinking, the task begins with identifying the actual problem to revealing user needs to form a vague cloud of ideas to delve into with customer conversations, resulting in “actions that might effectively narrow the gap between what-is and what-ought-to-be” (Rittel and Webber 1973, p. 159).

My next plan is to formulate a series of customer questions in order to narrow the gap even further, hopefully with a solution of a product or service, ultimately finding what is in actual demand (Müller and Thoring, 2014). My initial challenge in this project is to solve an aspect of mass tourism that was desirable, viable, and feasible from the “empathic” viewpoint of the customer at every instance (Brown 2009, p. 19)

DEVELOPING INITIAL CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION

As Brown (2006) stated in his lecture, insights from the world is a source of inspiration and the fuel for innovation. For this reason, I chose my newly adopted homeland Mallorca as my starting point.

The Balearic government (on behalf of the business entities and residents of the islands) is constantly looking for a healthier relationship with tourism and its international expatriate community. The international expat community in the Balearic Islands is made up of over 100 nationalities around the world with the largest percentage of foreign population in Spain with 220,297 people (National Statistics Institute 2022, as cited by Carter 2022). Mallorca has been a haven for decades for expats as well as second or seasonal homes. Expats tend to be well-educated, culturally aware, and have a relatively high level of discretionary spending, even despite ongoing global economic problems, and most importantly, spend locally, revitalizing the local market.

Tourism on an island is the vital ingredient for main revenue source of its gross national product, with positive impact for employment, structural, infrastructure and diversified economic development, as well as raising the overall standard of living for its primary residents. The dark side of island tourism is what tourism minister Iago Negueruela has termed cheap tourism, or worse yet, the drunken tourist (Ede, 2022). This undesirable segment of the tourist population are either low-cost all-inclusive resort guests, cruise ship visitors, or those tourists that come just for the weekend to get belligerently drunk.

The Balearic government has been recently trying to find solutions to attract a different kind of tourist that stays longer and “spends more” (as they also found that increased prices are not resulting in a decrease in the number of visitors). Mallorca’s politicians, hoteliers and restaurateurs have been trying for a while to put an end to what they refer to as party tourism on the Balearic Island of Mallorca by instilling new laws and regulations and actively redeveloping areas such as Playa de Palma to become a more quality tourism destination, not just one for cheap booze and never-ending parties (Martiny 2022).

Gabriel Barcelo Milta, the Vice President and Minister for Innovation, Research, and Tourism for the Balearic Government, states the importance to enhance the tourist products such as cultural tourism in order to extend the tourist season and shape the demand curve to combat the seasonal nature of Mallorca as a vacation destination (World Tourism Organization 2015, p. 10).