After a £5 million beach transformation project that rebuilt the famous Long Beach and the promenade, tourists are stumped by Mallorca's resort town Magaluff. However, not all are happy with the outcome.
Magaluff's beaches are transformed with sand dunes and palm trees, and some claim they have transformed the area into Morocco or Miami. Calvia Council argues that the oasis is an integral part of the main scheme, with the first part expected to begin on June 22nd after a year of intensive work. However, locals and tourists say they are not sure about including sand dunes and 48 palm trees on the beachfront.
Locals and tourists complain that Oras' collections will reduce the views from many restaurants overlooking the ocean, and reduce the space on the already saturated beaches. Additionally, the oasis is quickly washed away by tides and storms.
“A palm tree oasis on the beach? That never happened in Mallorca,” one person said on social media.
“If that beach was full before the season and there was no place to put everyone, they're removing another trace of the beach. Who came up with this great idea? Who embraced this project?”
Another unimpressed: “I don't know this is better. Now, those who want to do evil can hide it behind the dunes.
Others compared it to Miami or Morocco.
However, the Council caring for Magaluff defended the design, stating that the dunes are very low and have been reduced to just two from the original five sand dunes.
The work received a subsidy of 4 million euros from the Fund for the Next Generation of EU Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plans, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism of the Balearic Islands through the Sustainable Balearic Islands. An additional 1 million euros have been donated from ITS (Sustainable Tourism Tax) funds.
Locals also responded to the amount of time it took to complete the project. This has caused quite a bit of confusion in beach bars and restaurants with various closures and appropriations. The change is also delayed as the council promised it was ready for the start of the tourist season rather than the end of June.
In a statement, authorities said: “The first phase of the Magaluff Promenade modification, Paseo Gabriel Esllauria – is facing the final work, officially launched on June 22nd of drinking water.
“The dunes are separated by planting reeds and other species. The maximum height of the room does not exceed 80 cms, and does not avoid visual effects. Therefore, from the terraces of the promenade and the first line facility, the ocean view is unobstructed.
“Along the promenade, there is a rainwater collection system that is processed in situ with small treated plants. The resulting water is used to irrigate the dune vegetation.”
