Restraint in words, promotion in deeds: the paradox of the Consell de Mallorca

Palm"We must put restraint on the table. Now is the time to stop. It's time to set limits." These were the words of the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, in May 2024 at the press conference where he announced that the island institution would reduce the number of tourist accommodations in Mallorca. The announcement made it clear that the Popular Party admitted the island was saturated and, moreover, it perfectly aligned with the flagship measure that the president still intends to implement, despite being stalled: limiting the entry of vehicles. "The goal is to feel visited, not invaded," proclaimed the former island councilor for Tourism, Marcial Rodríguez, to reinforce Galmés's idea. With just over a year left in his term, the president has still not implemented any measures against saturation. In fact, Galmés's strategy against saturation is clear: make grand announcements while opening new markets to attract more visitors to Mallorca. The Balearic Islands are projected to receive over 19 million tourists in 2025, 13.55 million of whom will visit Mallorca. In this context, the Consell (Island Council) has signed agreements for new routes with airlines such as Etihad, which will operate three weekly direct flights from Palma between Mallorca and Abu Dhabi starting in June. In fact, the capital of the United Arab Emirates is a crucial connection point to Asia. Currently, connecting the Balearic Islands with the Asian continent requires a layover in Frankfurt. "Some people prefer to pay for a direct flight," says Pedro Fiol, president of the Balearic Islands Business Association of Travel Agencies (Aviba).

The Popular Party argues that connectivity with Asian markets "benefits residents" because they will have "more opportunities to travel," as they stated. But sources in the tourism sector point out that "the airlines come to Mallorca for their own commercial interests." "They pave the way for their own commercial strategy, and then the institutions take the credit. How many people live in Mallorca and how many in Asia? Is the flow of people from there to the Islands really that much more important? If the airlines come, it's not to provide connectivity for Balearic residents," they add. Sources from the Consell de Mallorca admit that the airlines are private entities that operate and open new routes without consulting the island institution.

Deseasonalization or not?

Extending the tourist season and distributing the number of tourists who flock to the islands during the summer months throughout the year "is in the hands of tour operators, who want to make money and sell the month of August," says former Tourism Minister Celestí Alomar, who believes that negotiating flights for the summer months—as the Consell (Island Council) does—is counterproductive. "Diversification is the biggest enemy of overcrowding. If we don't reduce the number of tourists, we won't achieve a quality economy. Trying to attract more tourists is counterproductive," he says. However, reducing the tourism supply is not part of the Consell's plans, which are working to "open new source markets, a tool to move towards responsible tourism," as stated by the Island Councilor for Tourism, Guillem Ginard, at the institution's last plenary session. Reducing the flow of tourists from traditional markets is also not on the agenda. "We're opening up new source markets, but we must take great care of those we already have established and that account for the majority of visitors throughout the year, such as Germany and the UK," Ginard emphasized. And if tourist numbers increase, the last thing we should do is reduce the number of available rooms, a measure that the governing team "doesn't consider urgent," according to the councilor. Adding flights during peak season will only increase overcrowding in Mallorca, and has nothing to do with the deseasonalization that the Popular Party advocates. "What do we want: a Mallorca that's sweltering for three months or an island that's vibrant all year round?" Ginard posed this question at the last plenary session of the Consell, referring to deseasonalization. Opening new markets to attract tourists from Southeast Asia will bring high-spending tourists, who are precisely a source of tension in the housing market. In fact, some consequences of promoting Mallorca in the Asian market are already being seen: as reported by ARA Baleares, a group of investors from Singapore have bought a property in Manacor for 20.5 million euros to carry out a resort Luxury.

Experts consulted warn that the increase in tourists will lead to a rise in illegal tourist rentals, which the Popular Party has declared its main enemy. Although ARA Baleares has asked the Tourism Department about this problem, the institution has refused to respond and has not allowed any contact with the councilor. "If we give you this information, we'll have problems with other media outlets. You're not the only ones who have asked for it," was one of the arguments used to withhold the information that ARA Baleares had requested.

In May of last year, the Consell changed the name of the Mallorca Turisme Foundation and renamed it the Responsible Tourism Foundation of Mallorca. It also removed the word 'promotion' from its statutes. Furthermore, the Consell promotes golf tourism in Marrakech and uses trotting to attract visitors. Containment and the fight against overcrowding will have to wait.