The funding goes to events that help to tackle tourism seasonality. Thirty have been organised by private entities, the other three by the public sector. Alzamora explained that the agency seeks to support events with international recognition and ones that are starting and need future continuity. At the press conference to announce this year's funding, tourism minister Bel Busquets stressed the government's commitment to diversifying the tourist product and to lengthening the season through sponsorship for sport, culture and gastronomy.
Alongside the minister and director were representatives of three beneficiaries - the Mallorca Live Festival, the Challenge Ciclista de Mallorca and the Fira Horeca. Mallorca Live is the music festival in Magalluf in May; the Challenge Ciclista is the cycling event at the end of January in which leading teams, such as Team Sky, take part; the Fira Horeca is a trade fair for the hotel and restaurant sector and takes place in Palma in early February.
Álvaro Martínez, the director of Mallorca Live, said that the sponsorship is very important and contributes to its overall economic benefit. The festival this year is calculated to have generated 3.6 million euros in terms of direct and indirect benefit. The festival had a budget of two million euros, with local businesses having invested 850,000 euros. Over its two days there were 27,000 people, 45% of whom were from outside the Balearics, such as from the UK.
