As I ran along empty C’an Repic beach in Port Soller early yesterday morning, I stopped to admire the clarity of the glass-like water. Graceful ducks and seabirds glided along with a backdrop of craggy cliffs, the old Soller lighthouse and a never-ending bale of silky blue sea. There wasn’t a yacht or human in sight and boy, did I relish the peace. This is wintertime in Mallorca and all the visitors have left. Finally, nature, local residents and the exhausted hospitality sector have time to catch their collective breath and bask in the knowledge that for four precious months, we will be able to reclaim our valley once more.
Why Mallorca needs a break from tourism
This is wintertime in Mallorca and all the visitors have left
Also in News
- What a carry on! European Union abandons full launch of new travel entry system for Britons in favour of "phased rollout"
- First day of operation and Spain's new traveller registration system crashes
- Fresh hope for Golden Visa in Spain
- Uncertainty surrounds EU Entry/Exit System implementation
- Living in Palma Airport - Safe and warm
2 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Certainly summer tourism is over the top. But that may be changing a bit You say "they've all left", but I was in a restaurant last night full of German tourists. Yes, a few were locals, but I talked to some of them, and they definitely were tourists. And you can tell the difference anyway - tourists have a whole different demeanour, dress differently, and appear less "in their element" than locals. And don't speak Spanish to the waiters. They resort to speak English or German. Locals are more likely to speak Spanish to the waiters (even if their vocabulary is limited). You can tell the difference. I read a statistic recently (and I believe it was also published in the MDB) about how Mallorca tourist demographics are shifting away from summer toward the off season. And there's growing numbers from say, north America that generally don't come in summer simply because it's too hot. And continental Europeans (our largest tourist demographic) are increasingly avoiding the summer months too, opting for September October, Christmas/New Years, March April May... Golfers, hikers and cyclists show up November - May. It's also notable that winter tourism is mainly to the interior of the island rather than beach resorts, which are largely closed down anyway. Not much of interest there. The point is this; We could surely use relief in the high season, but should that mean eliminating low season tourism too? Just because we are tired of tourists in summer? That sounds a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, especially as this welcome shift evolves. And as you point out ("they're all gone") so this increase in winter tourism doesn't really affect your resort (Port de Soller) or the other resorts anyway. So you still have your downtime. I do sympathise with your summer discomfort though. Especially in Soller and the port .
I couldn’t agree more.