The 'party boats' take the Port Authority to court for their expulsion from the port of Palma
They had already criticized the State-driven rearrangement because it leaves them out of the current location and prohibits them from making noise
PalmaThe companies that organized the maritime excursions known as party boats based in the port of Palma have decided to take to court the decision of the Port Authority to expel them from the area where they are currently located (in front of the Auditorium) due to the new layout of the port of Palma. Five companies in the sector, Barca Samba, Cruceros Marco Polo, Mallorca Sailing Catamarans, Nautical Adventures, and Ociana Calvià have filed an administrative contentious appeal against the tender promoted by the Balearic Port Authority (APB), which in practice means their expulsion from the 'golondrines' pier and a profound shift in the model of tourist activity within the port precinct.
The judicial conflict arises as a response from the operators to what they consider a profound modification of the port of Palma and which, in some way, will greatly limit their activity, especially that which has to do with the concept of party boat. This new proposal responds, in part, to the needs of the Port Authority to have the pier in front of the Auditorium available for other activities, but it is obvious to everyone that this change is motivated, in part, by considerable neighborhood pressure against a business that for years had been developed without sufficient controls, according to the repeated complaints of residents mainly along the Passeig Marítim.
The port of Palma is undergoing a very important transformation process, included in the Master Plan with a horizon of 2035, which foresees an investment of hundreds of millions of euros and aims to completely redefine the uses of the port, with the will to "better integrate it with the city and reduce its impacts", as the representatives of this body have stated on different occasions.
Although this plan is still in the development phase, with the first administrative steps underway and the tender for the strategic document, concrete decisions that anticipate the new model have already begun to be applied. The most immediate and controversial affects the local transit pier, popularly known as the 'golondrines' pier, which thus becomes the first real scenario of this reordering.
The end of the ‘party boats’ at the ‘golondrines’ pier
The new concession promoted by the APB introduces a substantial change in the activity of this space. The prohibition of boats with music and a festive atmosphere and the limitation to passenger maritime transport activities mean, in practice, the disappearance of the well-known party boats in this area. This change is not merely formal, but implies a direct displacement of companies that operated until now under these conditions, many of which are forced to modify their business model. These companies have already formally stated that these changes will be very detrimental to their activity. In any case, the Port Authority wants the pier to stop being a space associated with mass leisure and to be oriented towards a more controlled use and, according to the Administration, "compatible with the urban environment".
Precisely last December, one of the companies that organizes maritime excursions was the protagonist of another criticism, that of the residents of the Feixina area of Palma, for a Christmas market full of foreign elements, and which had the support of the Palma City Council. Presented as an artisan market, an investigation by ARA Balears was able to demonstrate that in reality the majority of sales stands (up to 45) were controlled by the same businessman, precisely a partner of Barca Samba.
The weight of the residents' complaints
The Port Authority's decision cannot be separated from the accumulated pressure from residents of the Maritime Promenade and the areas near the port. For years, residents have denounced the constant noise, the concentration of tourists, and the impact of an entertainment model they consider incompatible with daily life. Scenes of tourists singing, dancing, or shouting on board boats have become common during high season, and some residents have reported that the music volume is exorbitant. In this context, the reorganization of the golondrines pier is presented as a direct response to these complaints and as a first step to reduce the pressure on Palma's waterfront.
According to what ARA Balears has been able to learn, the contentious-administrative appeal against the tender is not limited to technical issues, but rather points to the core of the decision adopted by the Port Authority. Everything indicates that the operators are questioning the change in criteria, the impact on competition, and the possibility that the tender has been designed with the aim of displacing certain activities.
A million-dollar business in dispute
The maritime excursion sector in the port of Palma moves hundreds of thousands of passengers each year and generates very significant income. Recent studies ensure that in the Balearic Islands, the 'golondrines' (a type of boat tour) move more than one hundred million euros annually. This magnitude explains the intensity of competition between operators and sensitivity to any change affecting the distribution of moorings or operating conditions. The 'golondrines' dock is not just a physical space, but a key point within a highly profitable market, where location (opposite the Auditòrium of Palma) and access conditions largely determine the viability of businesses.
The sector also carries a history of controversies. ARA Balears reported a few weeks ago that, like in other coastal areas, for years the management of authorizations has been marked by a lack of clarity, as well as the tolerance of irregular situations and conflicts between companies. This context has generated a flexible but not very transparent model, in which the delimitation of operators' rights and obligations has not always been clear. The current restructuring is interpreted, in part, as an attempt to correct these dysfunctions and regain control over a particularly sensitive public domain space.
The most delicate point in the background is the police investigation into possible irregularities in the sector stemming from a poisoned gift: the case known as the box of chocolates that contained cash has cast suspicion on certain practices related to the management of concessions and authorizations and has led to the review of administrative files. This episode has reinforced the Administration's discourse on the need to organize the system and has added a new dimension to the conflict, which is no longer just economic or urbanistic, but also one of institutional control.
