Page 25 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Mallorca, Menorca & Ibiza

A POR TR AIT OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS  23

Pollença Bay. In the 1960s, Ibiza was
“discovered” by hippies. Soon after, charter
flights began operating to Mallorca.
Mass tourism developed rapidly before
the death of General Franco in 1975.
In 1983, the islands became an
autonomous region of Spain. The
authorities made Catalan and its
local dialects (Mallorquín on Mallorca,
Menorquín on Menorca and Eivissenc
on Ibiza) the joint official language
with Spanish and introduced strict
control of the local economy.
Following a string of environmental
protest marches in 1998 and 1999, an
“eco-tax” was introduced in 2002. The
tax, levied on visitors to the islands,
was intended to tackle some of the
environmental havoc that had been
wreaked by unre gulated tourism over
the last 30 years. In its first year the tax’s
benefits included funding the demol-
ishing of a number of unsightly hotels.
The “eco-tax” was always controversial,
Felipe VI, the King of Spain however, and the government finally
decided to scrap it in 2003, though its
not surprising, perhaps, since the tennis revival – and reimposition – is likely to
star Rafael Nadal hails from Manacor, on happen soon. The commercial success
Mallorca – but the true local passion is of tourism in the Balearics seems assured,
fútbol (football). Real Mallorca, based but a majority of the islanders – and their
in Palma, is one of the leading Spanish politicians – are keen to make the islands
sides and won the 1998 Spanish Cup. It an upmarket destination and keep the
is worth attending a match, not just as seamier side of tourism at bay.
a sporting event but to enjoy the good-
natured enthusiasm of the crowd.
Other sports associated with the islands
include windsurfing, horse riding and
golf. Excellent golfing conditions exist
in the islands, even in winter.
Present-Day Balearics
Once removed from the mainstream of
international life, the Balearic Islands have
now found themselves drawn in, thanks
to tourism. At first, it was the great and
the good who were drawn here – or, at
least, the great and the rich – and this
high-society tourism reached its peak
in the 1930s, when the poet Adam Diehl
built the luxurious Hotel Formentor on Kite-surfing off the coast of Mallorca on a sunny winter’s day

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