Known for excess tourism, the Majorcan town is working to reinvent itself
I am sure that many Majorcans will have gone through a similar situation, at least until a few years ago. When someone asks you where you are from and you say "from Mallorca", the other person, wherever they are from, answers almost without blinking: "from Magaluf?", as if the only thing that had transcended the island was the party, the drug, the excesses and the sun and beach tourist packages.
This town of municipality of Calvia it sold. In its time, Magaluf was a paradise, where in the middle of the last century the purchase of lots increased and construction began quickly and poorly. It was about generating income quickly, attracting tourism that only arrives in summer and that has been allowed practically everything.
In the middle of the last century, in Magaluf the purchase of plots increased and construction began quickly and badly
This image is trying to be reversed with a law that came into force two months before the arrival of covid to avoid drunken tourism and open the door to other visitors.
The nights in Magaluf have been a real mess, occupying more than one cover in the press of different countries. Who has not ever read about balconing? Yes, it is that practice that consists of jumping between the balconies of a hotel or from high places into the pool (and that does not always end well).
In January 2020, the Balearic government approved a decree law against excess tourism and alcohol abuse in the most problematic and popular tourist areas, including, obviously, Magaluf, to limit certain behaviours.
The decree contemplates the expulsion from hotels of tourists who practice balconing, prohibits advertising referring to alcohol consumption and open bars (limited to three drinks per person), pub crawls (alcohol routes), the 2x1 or 3x1, the alcohol self-dispensers and the Commercial establishments where alcoholic beverages are sold must remain closed between 9:30 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day.
The Balearic government approved a decree that, among other things, contemplates the expulsion of tourists who practice 'balconing' from hotels
The mayor of Calviá, Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, assures Condé Nast Traveler Spain that the new summer season starts with the will to enforce the decree strictly as a way of insisting on “this image of a Magaluf that has changed”.
In the summer 2020, without the arrival of faithful British tourists, the streets were almost deserted at night in Magaluf, with its neon lights off, the likes of which had not been seen for decades. This situation was especially remarkable in Whale Point, a street perpendicular to the beach, where the party and most of the bars are concentrated and, where any other summer, it was not surprising the see people dressed up and very drunk.
In the 80's, Magaluf was candy for tour operators. It was a place with a long white sand beach, where it was easy to find beds and cheap alcohol. This situation was quite a claim and also gave rise to all kinds of Corrupt exploits and clan wars to get the business.
Magaluf has attracted the youngest and most crazy. Students, bachelor parties and English clients with all-inclusive packages that litter the beach and annoy the neighbors. Many of them do not even walk around the island. They land at the airport and go directly to Magaluf, where they have created a microworld.
These visitors are a minority of the millions of people that Mallorca receives every year, but their activities harm the image of other areas that seek a more relaxed and sustainable tourism.
These visitors are a minority of the millions that Mallorca receives each year, but their activities damage the image of other areas
Hoteliers in Magaluf have been making a significant investment in the area since 2012 to change their clientele. In recent years, 60 hotels have been refurbished and 28 have been upgraded. Four five-star hotels have been opened and there are 32 more four-star hotels, in search of another type of public.
One of the hotel chains with the greatest presence in the area, Meliá Hotels International, has specified to Condé Nast Traveler Spain that it has invested “250 million euros in the transformation of all its hotels in Magaluf” to attract “quality tourism”.
In 2018 the group opened Momentum Plaza, a pedestrian space full of shops, trendy restaurants and leisure activities, and the Innside Calvia Beach Hotel, whose hanging pools have become an icon).
Hand in hand with the hotel transformation, new tourism businesses have been born, such as the Katmandú Park theme park, the wave pool at the Sol Wave House hotel and modern beach clubs such as Nikki Beach, one of the most luxurious and famous beach club brands in the world.
Melia Calvia Beach The Plaza, Majorca
When the party can resume, there will be some changes in the night scene of Magaluf. The mythical Tito's nightclub in the island's capital, Palma, will move to Magaluf this summer and, with it, it is expected that part of its previous clientele will be brought to the town. It will be located on the ground floor of the recently renovated BCM, a super discotheque that was very popular for its foam parties and has been reinvented for a more non-conformist client, in accordance with the new offer in the area.
The mayor of Calviá explains that they will accompany these improvements with a reform of the maritime front. The space will be rearranged and the width of the boulevard will be increased to make it more pleasant to walk with family and friends along the beach.
Punta Ballena street will be the next phase in the reconversion. To do this, as Rodríguez Badal says, the authorities need to produce a change in the density of entertainment venues “to other types of premises linked to restaurants or a complementary offer”.
The tourism of drunkenness no longer interests in Majorca for almost a decade. Neither to the majority of businessmen nor to the workers nor to the government. As part of the Balearic Islands strategy for this summer, the area will also reinforce its campaigns to attract national tourism.