The Majorcan tourism board announces its annual awards

The Fomento del Turismo, the Majorcan Tourism Board, will present its annual awards on November 27, at a gala dinner to be held at the Hotel Valparaiso. The Fomento's gold medal will go to Miquel Fluxá Rosselló in recognition of his dedication to tourism in Spain and in particular for setting up Viajes Iberia and the Grupo Iberostar. The silver medal goes to Martin Vermuelen, a retired travel agent, in recognition for a lifetime dedicated to tourism. He was a pioneer in promoting Majorca in the central European markets, particularly Belgium and Holland. The Fomento's gold plaque goes to Palma Cathedral, as one of the biggest tourist attractions on the island. It is an historical monument which according to statistics is the second most visited place on the island. The Fomento's board congratulated the management of the Cathedral for “having known how to combine activities of worship with cultural activities and touristic visits.” The cultural activities include concerts, and an Organ Festival. The silver plaque goes to the popular restaurant Cal Dimoni in Algaida, and especially to the Vanrell family who run it. The Fomento's board said that “a generation of tourists” had sampled Majorcan cuisine there. A diploma will go to the Esperanza Playa complex of Muro “for the efforts of the Luna family to improve ecological management.” Their achievements in this field have been acknowledged and rewarded by various environmental organisations as well as Spanish and foreign tour operators, the Board said.