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<\/p>\nFrom 1952, when the first tour arrived in Majorca from England, the island has set the template for modern package tourism: The one- or two-week stay at an all-inclusive resort holiday. As English academic R.J. Buswell wrote in his 2011 book, Majorca and Tourism<\/i>, Majorca became a much-studied laboratory for postwar mass tourism, the \u201cBalearic model\u201d serving as an example around the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
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On one hand, it\u2019s a runaway success. The native population of Majorca is about 859,000. The number of tourists, mostly Germans, English and Spanish, exceeds nine million, most of whom swarm over the island from June to September. Palma, the government centre of the Balearic islands, is the midpoint between the hard-partying Brits in Magaluf to the east, and the Germans to the west in El Arenal, who have their choice of beer halls, aquariums, casinos, thrill rides and water parks. A familiar quip is that the visitors neither know they\u2019re on an island or in Spain.<\/p>\n
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That kind of mass tourism has its drawbacks. It left Majorca looking seedy, and led to a crackdown in 2013 and 2014 against beach drinking. Other problems have included environmental despoliation and economic instability.<\/p>\n
The latter was all too apparent in the years following Spain\u2019s 2007 economic crisis. In 2009, Palma changed course, choosing to attract a better class of traveller and promote quality over quantity. A new tourist promotion entity, Foundation 365, was formed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn this subject, there was no debate,\u201d says its director Pedro Homar, a marketing man with experience both in the United States and Spain. \u201cWe needed to change the message and we needed to change the product.\u201d<\/p>\n
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So, instead of cheap beach getaways, the Passion for Palma campaign promoted the city as a culturally rich capital, ideal for a quick winter escape. Restaurants were encouraged to open outdoor terraces to get people out on the street. New legislation allowed businesses to stay open on Sunday as cruise-ship passengers were unhappy to find the city closed on their one day in port. With 1.7-million passengers arriving last year, Palma is Spain\u2019s second biggest port of call after Barcelona.<\/p>\n
To sell the new message, Palma points to a calendar of events throughout the year. That includes everything from an Ella International Lesbian Festival this May, to marathons, regattas and sacred-music concerts.<\/p>\n
Another recent addition to the Majorcan cultural calendar is an annual film festival, and it\u2019s a good example of how the new Palma branding works. A few years ago, Sandra Seeling, a German-born, Majorca-raised actress, who lives in Los Angeles, wanted to start an international independent film festival in Palma. It seemed reasonable enough: Resort cities from Cannes to Park City, Utah, are homes to festivals, and with celebrities from Michael Douglas to Claudia Schiffer owning villas on the island, it\u2019s a proven celebrity draw.<\/p>\n
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But local officials were dubious. She was young, barely out of film school and Palma, which, like most of Spain, had been hard hit by the economic crisis, wasn\u2019t looking to offer cultural handouts. Within the next year, things changed. As the city set about implementing changes in its tourist traffic, a film festival suddenly made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin a year, they were 100 per cent behind it,\u201d Seeling recalls. \u201cWe had help with hotels and airfares for guests, with promotion of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival, held in November, drew 2,200 people. Events took place at Es Baluard Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Other events were held at the Rialto Living Centre, a 15th-century building converted into a modern lifestyle store, and the Port Adriano marina, designed by Philippe Starck. The closing night party was at the Mercado Gastronomico San Juan, which opened in 2014, where visitors can try out local delicacies such as ceviche and tartare beef, or traditional lamb kebabs with couscous.<\/p>\n
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The film festival, Homar says, is a perfect showcase for Palma\u2019s cultural attractions, as well as introducing producers to the island as a potential film location. It also encourages off-season tourism in the old town, which now has 18 boutique hotels, typically built within old family palaces in the old town. Another eight are planned in 2016 and 2017. While that\u2019s a small percentage of the more than 1,000 hotels on the island, the high-end hostelries can also command double the price.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we happy with the results?\u201d Homar asks rhetorically. \u201cYes, we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The winter of 2014 saw a jump of 4 per cent in off-season tourist numbers. In 2015, it was 8.5 per cent. This past January, Homar says, hotel bookings in Palma were up 40 per cent from the previous year. A survey of more than 13,000 visitors indicated more than 90 per cent said they would return or recommend the city to friends. It listed the top five reasons for visiting Palma; they were: the Cathedral, relaxing, hiking in island\u2019s interior, shopping and culture.<\/p>\n
Beer halls and pub crawls were conspicuously lacking.<\/p>\n
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FIVE MUST-SEES FOR THE CULTURED TOURIST<\/b><\/p>\n
The Catedral de Palma<\/b><\/p>\n
One of Spain\u2019s great cathedrals is a wonderful motley mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and 19th- and 20th-century additions. The building is as fascinating on the inside as out, with a historical museum, and an interior redesigned by Antoni Gaudi with a fanciful altar mantel shaped like a crown of thorns and a chapel by contemporary artist, Miquel Barcelo. Carrer del Palau Reial 9, Catedral Mallorca<\/a>.<\/p>\n Book tickets here<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Es Baluard Modern and Contemporary Art Museum<\/b><\/p>\n Palma\u2019s resident gallery is a glimpse into the many cultural influences on the island and an art lover\u2019s must-see, with works by C\u00e9zanne, Gauguin, Picasso, Magritte, as well as contemporary artists from Julian Schnabel to Marcelo Barcelo. Placa de la Porta de Santa Catalina, 10, esbaluard.org<\/a><\/p>\n The Pilar and Joan Miro Foundation<\/b><\/p>\n Painter\/sculptor Joan Miro moved to Palma, the home of both his wife and mother, in 1956 and remained there until his death in 1983: A visit to the museum is an immersion into the dreamlike, playful consciousness of the Catalan artist. The centre consists of a sculpture garden, a museum with dozens of paintings, drawings and mixed-media works, a studio designed by his architect friend Josep Lluis Sert, and a second small studio where, on the white-washed walls, you can see scrawled plans for some of his playful, quizzical sculptures that decorate the garden. miro.palmadeMajorca.es<\/a><\/p>\n The Frederick Chopin and George Sand Museum<\/b><\/p>\n Take a road trip to the beautiful pine-covered Serra de Tramuntana Mountains to the town of Valledemosa on the north of the island to visit the monastery and rooms where Polish composer Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chopin and the French writer George Sand stayed in the winter of 1838-39. You can visit the tiny rooms, see Chopin\u2019s upright piano and the framed copies of his revised musical scores.<\/p>\n Sand found the views breathtaking, but was less fond of the local population; three years later, Sand wrote a scathing travel memoir, A Winter in Majorca<\/i>, in which she called them monkeys, thieves and savages. At least she couldn\u2019t claim they held a grudge. Since 1930, a Chopin music festival has been held every August in Valledemosa to celebrate its famous guest. Royal Carthusian Monastery, Valldemossa<\/i>, celdadechopin.es<\/a><\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/life\/travel\/destinations\/article29272082.ece\/BINARY\/w940\/image.jpg\")
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