exper
expert IAGO
ASK THE NEGUERUELA
Balearic Islands minister of tourism
British tourism is essential for our islands and the UK is our second-biggest source market in terms of visitor numbers. The tourism industry accounts for around 35% of our islands’ GDP and it is essential that we bring visitors back. However, our ambition
is to do so in a sustainable way, continuing to roll out sustainable initiatives to counteract any negative impacts. Our visitors have directly helped us fund a huge number of projects to promote ecotourism, preserve the environment and restore our cultural heritage. We look forward to bringing back our loyal UK visitors. It is encouraging to read that millions of people are being vaccinated every week and the vast majority of the adult population will be vaccinated by July. We know our islands are valued in the UK in terms of our proximity, air connections, tourism infrastructure, quality, price and climate. We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure a safe return to tourism so we are ready for when British visitors are able to travel once more.
Visit Majorca’s Museo sa Bassa Blanca, home to an eclectic range of modern art including works by Damian Hirst
top tipop ti
proactive approach to rehabilitation and conservation be a selling point to environmentally aware clients? I visited Majorca and Menorca to take a look at some of the projects up close.
MAJORCA Passing through Palma’s busy airport, it would be easy for visitors to be oblivious to projects taking place just metres away. In Pla de Sant Jordi there are more than 1,000 windmills, typically consisting of a stout limestone base and colourful sails. Given this sun-drenched island’s absence of rivers but wealth of underground streams, the mills were crucial for farming in years gone by. But with much of Majorca’s food now imported, most have fallen into disrepair, their rusted and broken remains littering the landscape. I meet Toni Bestard, whose family have lived on the land for more than a century. He tells me that windmills form part of the heritage of the island, and beams with a quiet pride at the opportunity to restore his land to its former glory, with his own mill painted resplendently in red and blue. A grant of up to €15,000 is available to fund labour, while the cost of traditional materials is met by the landowner. Half-an-hour’s drive from island capital Palma, and a world away from any high-rise resorts, the Unesco- listed Tramuntana mountain range is home to the highest peaks in the Balearics. Nestled among its hills,
34 18 MARCH 2021
33Toni beams with pride at the chance to restore his land to its former glory, with his own windmill resplendent in red and blue
the Ses Porqueres de Galatzó building was originally constructed as a pig shelter before falling into disrepair. Project leader Pep Toni talks me through his grand design, explaining that the renovation will create a hostel-style refuge for hikers and cyclists exploring the nearby trails. With 52 beds across 12 rooms, in addition to dining facilities, the project aims to boost the island’s appeal for active holidaymakers and promote low- season tourism. The area’s protected status prohibits new buildings, hence the importance of renovating existing ones. It’s a big job, requiring a hefty €1.4 million from the tourism tax to fund this renovation. A short stroll further up the hillside, we come to an irrigation system that delivers water from a spring more than a mile away to terraces where olive and fruit trees ripen in the sunshine. It’s an impressive sight, especially as the technology dates from Moorish settlers in the 10th century, now restored with the help of €780,000 from the sustainability fund.
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