Thomas Cook has re-launched Mojácar as a “clubbing destination” according to their advert here.
“Book a clubbing holiday in Costa Almeria today and get ready to party like you’ve never partied before!” screams the webpage.”Thomas Cook offer a wide range of options for you to stay on your Costa Almeria clubbing holiday, so you can crash at night (or the next morning) in a comfortable place that won’t cost the earth.”
Despite the exciting text, the photos accompanying the ad aren’t the most exciting – they don’t actually include a shot of any bar, club or, indeed, any building. We see a -very old- photo of some scrubland behind where the Mandela is now; an olive tree in a field, a chap cantering along a beach against the setting sun, and, for some reason, a long distance shot of the El Ejido skyscraper, set against the backdrop of infinite plastic greenhouses.
Why? Oh, they’re a plugin from the panorama website. Stock photos of the province.
Ah-ha! The penny drops. What we’re actually looking at is a search engine page, an automatically generated page on their site designed to get them better listings in Google, MSN, Yahoo! and the like. Not a serious offer to bring in the Ibiza clubbers from across the world. When we actually search for holidays in the Costa Almeria, a list of serious family orientated hotels pop up, with not a single club destination listed.
After all, is Thomas Cook really daft enough to send hordes of serious clubbers to Mojacar, a town which is currently debating a 11 pm curfew for all of its bars? And whose townhall has declared “war” on clubbers, party goers and anyone under the age of 55?
Indeed, if you go to the “clubbing” section of the website, it’s not linked anywhere. Costa Almeria remains a destination for all inclusive package holidays for families on a budget. Good for Thomas Cook, not so good for the bars and restaurants of the area.
Rosmari’s plan to kill off the tourism sector in the town continues according to plan.