Your seven days news round-up in Mallorca

The squat at Alcudia's Club Bellevue, first confirmed almost two weeks ago, has come to dominate the news locally and to attract international attention. Mallorca's largest holiday complex and one that doesn't always enjoy the greatest of reputations, it attracts holidaymakers from various countries, the UK probably being the main supplier market. In terms of image, squatters could only further harm the reputation - of Alcudia as well as Bellevue. But there had been rumours of squatters, so when the story finally blew up, it came as absolutely no surprise.

What may have taken people aback was the number of squatters said to have occupied the Neptuno II building. Guardians Control, a company that specialises in negotiating squatter evictions, moved in on Monday morning. Its spokesperson, Tomeu Carbonell, estimated there were 150 squatters in all, in which case there was one person from the company for every three squatters, such was the initial scale of the operation. The Guardia Civil were satisfied that the company was following established procedures, the lawyer for Guardians Control pointing out, among other things, that the squatters were in breach of tourist regulations that require payment in advance for using accommodation.

Over last weekend there was a constant stream of news in respect of the squat, the potentially most damaging having been that a group of 46 German tourists had apparently cancelled a five-night holiday at Bellevue in April. Matters had to come to a head, and they did. The squatters were issued with an ultimatum. Leave before February 24, and the operator, BlueBay Hotels & Resorts, would waive any claim for damages and would not press criminal charges for usurpation. By Tuesday, the number of squatters had already dwindled to around twenty. The main entrance to Neptuno II was bricked up; the only access was via an emergency exit.

Guardians Control established that a 'mafia' had been involved. Some of the squatters had paid to get an apartment. The company told these squatters they should report this; it was a scam. Carbonell referred to the presence of the odd "high-end vehicle" and individuals who hardly matched the profile of a squatter. Meanwhile, there was perhaps inevitably talk of drug dealing, while Alcudia social services were being criticised for a lack of attention. The town hall subsequently stated that it was attending to people registered with social services and especially to families with children.

And Alcudia's tourism councillor is sacked

Unrelated to the squat at Bellevue, Alcudia's tourism councillor, Joan Mateu Gual, was dismissed by the mayor, Fina Linares, because of a "loss of confidence" stemming from "inadequate management", evidence of invoices not considered to have been "ethical" and "various administrative incidents". Among accusations levelled at the councillor was the non-payment of an invoice of 254,000 euros to the organisers of the Ironman 70.3, a prestige international event for Alcudia that is held every May.

A reminder of the Cala Bona squat

Continuing on a tourist establishment squat theme, there has been a reminder of the occupation of the Sol i Mar Aparthotel in Cala Bona that was resolved last month. The owners of the hotel have gone to court in seeking the termination of the contract with the management company, Marbel Can Pastilla S.L. They maintain that 219,000 euros are owed in respect of the 2024 rent and rubbish tax and that renovation work, which should have been carried out, has not been. The owners also want the management company's Miguel Deyá to be evicted. He was a very prominent figure during the squatting episode and has himself filed a lawsuit against the owners for defamation. They implied he was in a some way complicit with the squatting.

The slump in new homes

There is a never-ending supply of news regarding housing problems in Mallorca and the Balearics, and so we have had a report concerning the number of new homes that are being built. Figures from the College of Architects indicate that building licences granted in 2023 were around a fifth of those some twenty years ago. There were 3,292 in 2023. The peak was 15,838 in 2006.

The CEO of the Balearic Builders Association, Sandra Verger, doesn't believe there is one "specific cause" to explain the slump, though she pointed to a focus on homes for people with high incomes as a result of the financial crisis, which had brought an end to the boom in house building between 2003 and 2007. There has obviously been an issue with land. But this doesn't offer a wholly satisfactory explanation, as large homes have been built on land that could feasibly have been dedicated instead to multiple smaller homes and at affordable prices.

A load of bull

Housing and tourism have been very much linked by protesters in Mallorca. The first big protest last year, which was in May, was as much about housing as it was overtourism. The protests are bound to continue this year, and actions were discussed at a gathering of people involved with the Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) movement last weekend. There weren't many in attendance, it has to be said - only around fifty - but they promised to "regroup and double the efforts" this year.

The Osborne bull in Algaida has provided the means for protest and advocacy of social causes for many years. Supposedly a protected monument, this hasn't prevented the bull from having been painted and had slogans written on it. The latest protest was directed at rich foreign buyers. They can "go to hell". Groups such as SOS Residents applauded the message, which expressed a stance against the island's gentrification. How much support it would have got generally was impossible to say.

Forecasting tourism patterns

Hardly for the first time there have been mixed messages about tourism-season expectations. A weekly report from the Palma-based TravelgateX that compares week-on-week and year-on-year booking patterns constantly fluctuates. Bookings were down four per cent compared with the previous week, while they were up 20% compared with the same week last year. What does this prove? Anything in terms of trend or just a snapshot of bookings' activity at a given time? Rather too much can be read into these reports, be they up or down.

Meanwhile, airlines' programming for the summer (defined as April to October) pointed to a 6.4% increase in the number of available seats for Palma flights (arrivals and departures) - a total of 33.5 million. So, do these suggest there will be a 6.4% increase in tourist numbers? Not exactly, no. Seats aren't just for tourists, and these seats have to actually be booked.

Complaints and congestion

Airlines of the budget variety generate more consumer complaints in Mallorca and the Balearics than any other sector, and Ryanair and Vueling have been specified as the main culprits. The Consubal consumers association in the Balearics has drawn on complaints lodged with it and with the Balearics consumer affairs directorate in suggesting that when figures for 2024 are released, they will show a 40% increase in complaints about airlines. Ryanair and other low-cost providers have of course been hit with huge fines by Spain's consumer affairs ministry because of "abusive practices".

Consubal explained that the transport sector was way out in front in attracting complaints, implying that these aren't all about airlines. Might car-hire firms be lumped in with these as well? Whether they are or not, the Baleval association, one of two associations representing these firms in the Balearics, has insisted that hire cars aren't to blame for traffic congestion in Mallorca.

Its president, Julio Nieto, drew attention to the situation on the roads in February, when there are very few hire cars. Consider all the jams there are in Palma right now. These are because the road infrastructure is inadequate. He has a point, but Baleval is prepared to concede the need for limits on hire cars so long as these are based on accurate and objective data. We may well hear more about any proposed limits in a week's time.

Traffic problems caused by the redevelopment of Palma's Paseo Marítimo will hopefully end in April. This is when all the work is due to end, six months behind schedule. This weekend, the two bridges over the Paseo are being demolished, one of these being the walkway that provided a connection from the old Mediterraneo Hotel to the Social Club, which was itself demolished last year. But that didn't signal the end for the British-owned nightspot. It will re-emerge at the Victoria Gran Meliá Hotel, just a short distance away and where renovation work is currently being carried out.