Hugh Morgan and his family have lived in Mallorca for generations. | Javier
Hugh Morgan is a British tourist industry legend whose personal and professional relationships with the Balearics stretch back some 55 years and are still going strong today - he spends half the year living in the centre of Palma. “I love Mallorca, always have done, it’s wonderful. When I step off the plane I feel like I’m home,” he said. And yes, he has watched it change and grow into a Mecca for tourism.
Protests
“And the trouble with Meccas is that sometimes people get trampled on, so to a certain extent I sympathise with the protests against mass tourism. But these demonstrations are not anti-British or anti-tourists, they are anti-tourism policy and that is where the very complicated problem lies. I have a friend who works in air traffic control and he told me that the other day they handled 1,600 flights in a day when the previous record was 1,200 - that’s busier than Gatwick. Then all those passengers have to move from the airport, be it by coach, taxi or hire car and that clogs up the roads obviously. And then, when it rains, everyone heads for Palma and it’s gridlock. There’s been fresh talk of park and ride schemes but what is actually being done?
Knee-jerk reactions
“Knee-jerk reactions, limits and restrictions are not the answer. As the great forerunner of package tourism to Spain and Mallorca, my former boss Harry Goodman, once said to me: ‘We’ve got the planes and the capacity so we can take people on holiday to wherever they want’. If, as forecast, Palma Airport is going to handle 20 million passengers this year and say they spend an average of 1,000 euros, that’s 20 billion euros. We’re talking big money, a serious amount of revenue. Mallorca depends on tourism and needs that kind of revenue but I think it’s time for an end to petty politics and for a serious, constructive adult conversation to be had and a long-term strategy introduced.
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If this man is telling the truth, and he has known Mallorca for 55 years, he knows how much Mallorca has changed. The Island has always lived off Tourism, but not in this way. We Mallorcans ourselves no longer like the island and we cannot understand how tourists can like it either. A day at the beach, a walk or trying to go for a coffee in a town can be one of the most stressful. It's a shame what has happened to what was truly wonderful.
Morgan WilliamsWhat?, think before typing.
Another foreign capitalist expert! Who spends 6 months of the year living in Palma! Says it all! When will there be a voice for the real Mallorquins who saturate the vast interior of the island and have incredibly different views about THEIR island!? None of these so-called experts living in the Palma or Calvia bubble really have a clue about the Mallorquin mindset and just see it through their £-sign glasses. And the whole article is ironic in that he waffles on about adult decisions need to be made, bla bla bla, but he doesn't say anything with substance himself! Fool!
If cheap is your first interest, then that may explain why you seem to know so little about Mallorca. Another thing you didn't know - the other 3600 sq km outside of Calvia are in pretty high demand by others who aren't seeking whatever is cheapest. And open and active even long after Magaluf is all boarded up (you know, after October?). Plus, as an added bonus, it's much less expensive than Calvia, and so they aren't stuck with 30m2 hotel rooms and flats, but instead they can afford 200m2 homes with private pools and all the latest toys. And no drunken yobs. So that's one attraction, aside from the scenery. And the locals are very easy going. It's one of the things that Michael Douglas likes so much about "the other Mallorca" - he can enter any old café, and just feel normal. nobody freaks out or tries to get autographs, no clicking paparazzi. Nobody cares. Morgan Freeman has mentioned similar experiences. But you can be forgiven for not knowing that. Anyway, enjoy the junk shops, water park, English pubs and burger king. Good job you left this hellhole.
20 years ago there were 600,000 inhabitants, now, there are 960,000 inhabitants. My guess is that's more than 180,000 extra cars on the road. Nothing to do with the tourists.
And I am still waiting for this list of attractions.
Morgan WilliamsCouldn't afford to leave but managed it eventually, live on the Costa Blanca now and so much nicer, friendlier and cheaper. As for Mallorca well it ain't no better than it thinks it is Morgan. Packed in summer and closed in winter. Move on. As for the UK, ha, that place is a joke and according to or kids bloody expensive and going to the dogs.
Just TogetpublishedYeah, it's awful here. Just read the British tabloids. How did you get stuck here? Wouldn't you be better off in Blighty? It's so much cheaper there. Maybe that explains why tourism has taken a complete nosedive, and why nobody is buying property here anymore. And why the hotels are empty and flights are scarce. Well, OK, Magaluf is apparently struggling a bit. But the rest of the island is just barren, third world wasteland innit? Begs the question of what the attraction is? Maybe you can investigate that a bit? Let us know what you find out.
Morgan WilliamsOK other than scenery, what has Mallorca got to offer that you can't find anywhere else other than high prices, overcrowding (which includes the rich and famous areas to an extent they can't leave their villas for tourists), poor people, drugs, violence, graffiti, lousy transportations, people unable to afford rents or to purchase a house. Shall I go on, and there are a lot more.
Morgan WilliamsWow, as I have been in Mallorca 20 years I think I already know that and have never been out in Magaluf other than to see Madness who were a no show as they were entertaining the rich somewhere else. The A-list as you say never go out anywhere so how do they contribute to the economy Morgan.