By Andrew Ede

Copyright majorcadailybulletin

With the season now in its final weeks, Calvia Town Hall says that the summer has passed “peacefully” in Magaluf. Far removed from the excesses of recent times that attracted huge media attention nationally and internationally, a process of “pacifying” Magaluf is said to have come about through a combination of the responsible tourism law (what was the tourism of excesses law) and municipal regulations.

Mauricio Carballeda, the president of the Palmanova-Magaluf Hoteliers Association, highlights the efforts of Calvia Police and the Guardia Civil in what has been “a year of consolidation”. And by consolidation, he means the new reality of the resort through a transformation that started fourteen years ago. That was when Meliá Hotels International unveiled its plans for Magaluf. Other businesses as well as authorities followed the lead.

But the original tourism of excesses decree was arguably the decisive factor. Passed in early 2020 by the last government, its impact wasn’t immediate because of the pandemic. The impact has since become clearer, the renaming and tweaking of the legislation by the current government having been a further step in the process.

The town hall’s tourism department acknowledges the transformation and measures such as restrictions on the sale of alcohol in shops and shorter hours in nightlife establishments. “The process is primarily due to a change in visitor profile. The young British tourist, eager for partying and debauchery, no longer predominates. Instead there is a more family-oriented profile with greater purchasing power.” The police have meanwhile been aided by the use of drones and surveillance cameras.

As to business performance, Carballeda points to a season that has matched 2024 in terms of revenue but to fewer reservations than last year; prices have offset these. “We’re returning to pre-pandemic figures.” An occupancy rate of 85% is expected for September, and the outlook for October is also good.