Jesús M. González, professor of geography at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), says that Palma is part of a "metropolitan crown" of European cities that attracts northern European second home owners.
He draws a comparison between Palma and Madrid. "The mountains have become the second home of the people of Madrid." A couple of hours from the capital, house prices have been influenced and there have been changes among the residents. The local economy has also been altered because of the presence of people from the city.
Palma's proximity to large European cities is similar. "Germans come here because there is a two-hour flight. The same dynamics are generated. They come here to spend the weekends, which affects the land, the housing, the type of buildings. The restaurants and a proliferation of art galleries are indications of a transformation." Palma and the whole of Mallorca have become a "metropolitan crown".
The availability of flights in the low season highlights why there is a German presence in particular. For Palma in January there are 740 flights from German airports. There are 187 from the UK, 75 from Austria, 63 from Italy, 50 from France and 20 from Sweden. González notes that at the airport there are countless estate agency advertisements that welcome travellers.
The president of the estate agencies association, José Miguel Artieda, highlights the sales of properties to foreigners - "36 per cent of the total". "Buyers are no longer looking for hyper-luxury or for places by the coast. Since Covid, the trend has changed and now foreigners from northern Europe come to work here remotely and return to their home countries to complement their working hours."
The difference compared to previous years is that those who buy are often part of the working population. These people have "semi-residence". Artieda reckons that many come to live "an experience". "They like coming here but they don’t integrate. They want to live like a resident. For them this is a paradise similar to Tuscany. They seek tranquillity and good weather, but they don’t mix."
Pedro Fiol, president of the Aviba travel agencies association, says: "Many people come to spend the weekend. There are shops on offer, there is good weather. The connections with Germany and Austria are very good, also with the UK. We are connected to the whole of Europe, more and more so because of low-cost airlines." So Palma and Mallorca have, in effect, become like a metropolitan area of Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and London.
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