Capdepera and Costitx promoting cycling and rural tourism

Capdepera is going big on sports and nature tourism with the intention of adding more tourists through the whole of the year.

There is a particular emphasis on cycling, and the town hall and hotels have put together eighteen mountain bike routes. These range in their levels of difficulty as a further aim is to attract different markets - from families to the serious riders. The easy ones cover parts of Capdepera such as the prehistoric settlement of Es Claper des Gegants. On the more difficult scale is one of 45 kilometres between Capdepera and Arta.

Neighbouring municipalities - Arta and Son Servera - are included in the campaign, as the routes take them both in and go through the Llevant Nature Park and along the Green Way (formed by the aborted railway line).

In addition, there are 23 hiking routes covering 150 kilometres which all have signs and geo-positioning.

Meanwhile, the project for a new bike lane is being drafted. It will cost a total of six million euros and so will be undertaken in phases. The first of these will be from Coll des Vidrier to the Son Servera-Capdepera road and on to Cala Lliteras.

In Costitx, the town hall is looking to boost tourism by promoting aspects such as archaeological remains in the municipality. Six hiking routes that cover some thirty kilometres are being created along rural ways. These are an initiative which involves neighbouring Sencelles. The routes will cover the most important sites in the two municipalities.

Mayor Antoni Salas says that the aim is to bring some organisation in order to give an improved service to visitors. A further initiative is the geo-location of the 32 holiday rentals' properties in Costitx. This system will enable more rapid response to these properties in case of emergency.

Salas points out that emergency services have had problems locating these rural properties. A town hall technician will undertake the geo-location work and forward all the information to the 112 emergency service. Costitx will become the first municipality to have such a system.

The town hall is to distribute information leaflets to the holiday homes. These will provide information about the hiking routes, archaeology, local businesses and services, the municipal museum and the Majorca observatory, which is in Costitx. Fiestas and fairs are also to be promoted. For the hiking routes there are information panels in different parts of the municipality and a large poster in the main square.