The Palma city council will allow new hotels to open in Palma reversing a decision by the previous administration and prompting calls from opposition groups that they wanted yet more tourists in the city. In an unusual move the council announced that small hotels, of up to 50 places, could be opened in protected buildings.
The opposition, especially the Mallorca Nationalists at Mes, slammed the move saying that it would lead to an even greater number of tourists in the city. The move was announced by the ruling Partido Popular with the support of the far right Vox party.
According to Mes the move will lead to more boutique hotels and agrotourism. The previous socialist-led Balearic government with the support of the city council, then also under socialist rule, introduced the freeze in an effort to limit tourist numbers. It received a mixed response. Now it appears that the new council have started to row back on this decision and the move by the city council will be eagerly watched in other areas of the island.
Vox said that they didn't understand all the fuss which was being made by the opposition because the move would give a good use to protected buildings which otherwise would be redundant.
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Happy to see $$$$ flowing into this type of bussiness these boutique hotels are beautiful and bring good jobs look nice restore the properties , nice !
Clearly there is absolutely no plan whatsoever. Just money. Boutique hotels are popping up everywhere it seems, take Alcudia for example. Before long it’ll be the sole preserve of hotels, ETVs, restaurants and shops. Christopher is right, it’s Disneyfication. Places will become empty pastiches of their former selves. Their hearts and souls erased by greed and stupidity. It’ll feel like visiting or living in a film set. Not real anymore. Councils and Govt seem intent on degrading the very thing that makes Palma, Alcúdia and elsewhere so special.
Thank goodness common sense now prevailing in Palma with the go ahead to encourage small hotels that will attract the more upmarket visitor to Majorca who tends to spend significantly more on accommodation car hire shops and restaurants than the “todo incluidos”. A good initiative that will encourage more upscale visitors in the winter months as well. A pat on the back for Palma. Now if they can also get rid of the graffiti, crime and return the Paseo Maratimo to its original state life in Palma would be perfect.
So more buildings to be converted to hotels - great this is just what we need - more tourists and even more upwards pressure on the price of residential accommodation. Do they want to turn Palma into amother Disneyland?