CALVIA GETS TOUGH ON HOTEL DEVELOPMENTS

TO build a new hotel in Calvia, an old one has got to be knocked down. That is the crux of Calvia Council's building laws which have recently been revised. The revised building laws now include a set of “general guidelines” governing as to how Calvia can be used by the tourist industry. It has been agreed by the council that for a new hotel to be built in the municpality, which is one of the most popular summer tourist destinations in Spain, an old hotel has to be knocked down, not just closed. However, it appears that Calvia is banking on new hotels being built in the area. According to a communique issued yesterday, some 80 per cent of hotels in Majorca which could be knocked down to make way for new establishments are in Calvia, with the remaining 20 per cent dotted around the island. The main aim of the revised general building plan is not to increase the number of hotels and bed spaces, but to improve quality; a campaign which the Balearic government launched nearly two years ago.