msm-Logo MALLORCA NEWS No. 5

Tops & Flops of the week, June 19th to 25th, 1996


Photos: Torrello/Diario de Mallorca, Lufthansa 
FLYING HIGH, LAYING LOW

In Germany he's a "big fish" in the industrial world...in Mallorca he could almost pass as just another tourist. Golf and mountainbike buff, Jürgen Weber, president of the German airline Lufthansa, agreed to be interviewed by the local newspaper, Diario de Mallorca, at his home in the north of the island. 
Excerpts from the interview:

  • "The workers - who must be well trained and experienced - degree of envolvement is one of Germany's strongest points."
  • "The trouble is, safety costs money, and if you aren't willing to spend that money you jeopardize it."
  • "I'm sure tourism is one of the few industries whrere growth is guarenteed. It only depends on the quality offer, and here I'd like to make a point: be careful with the landscape. Air traffic will only increase over the next fifteen years, at a rate of five percent a year."
  • "Mallorca is "in", but there is no two ways about it: it's a beautiful island with cristal clear waters and only two hours away from England. An added attraction is the incredible variety of people who come: bohemians, reporters, artists, businessmen, middle classes and mass tourism."
  • "Mallorca is one of the most beautiful islands in the world and it will continue being so as long as its quality and prices are maintained."


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    Photo: msm-Archives
    WORK & FUN

    Now that it has been definitely confirmed that the World Boxing Championship will be held at the Palma bullring (see Mallorca News n(o) 3), there have been those who have chosen to combine work with fun and leisure. With the objective of really preparing himself and doing proper groundwork for the great event, the famous football commentator Marcel Reif -- sports executive-producer for German television channel RTL since last February -- didn't hesitate to change his usual holidays in La Toscana for a stay in Mallorca, in spite being in love with Italy. In the company of his girlfriend, Sandra Weber, also a sports commentator for RTL, he has taken a few days off at the Villa Italia, in Puerto Andratx (see photograph). Of course, they enjoyed playing tennis in Peguera and driving a rental car around the island. While the television channel busily prepares the live broadcast of the event, this professional of the mass media has had time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the island. His mobile phone, however, was never out of sight. After a week in Mallorca, a contented Reif declares: "We'll be back soon."



     

    Photo: Sabine Knoke/MSM 
    THE FUTURE OF S'ALBUFERA 

    S'Albufera's dunes and marshes, between Alcúdia and Can Picafort, are among the most beautiful (and least developed) areas of the north of Mallorca. There is now a project which foresees a thorough cleaning job of the Parc de S'Albufera (see photograph), thus resolving the serious problems in area until. Around 41 million pesetas will be invested in its consolidation as a future protected natural area. Some 80 million pesetas will be invested in revitalizing the dunes and cleaning the canals. Between 1997 and 2002, another 332 million pesetas will be invested in the restoration of a ruin and improving the water management system.



     

    Photo: Fuerza Aérea Española 
    ARTISTS IN THE SKY 

    At the 92 Olympics in Barcelona the colours of Spain were drawn in the sky, and on Sunday morning they will cause sensation in the Mallorcan skies. The acrobat squadron, Patrulla Aguila (see photograph), formed in 1985, will delight their audience with a demonstration of their skills in the skies of Mallorca. The word has it that the Dique Este (the Eastern Dike), facing the Passeig Sagrera in Palma, will be the best place from which to admire the acrobatics by these seven C-101 jets made by the Spanish aeronautical company C.A.:S.A.



     
    +FLASHES+FLASHES+FLA + As is becoming a rule in the summer months, illegal accommodations are once again on the scene. According to the Mallorcan Office of Tourism, some 20,000 tourists a week stay at accommodations that aren't official. The island government not only loses money, but also claims to have no control over these con games played by individuals, some hotel owners, real estate agents and sometimes even tour operators. In addition to this there isn't a legal provision regulating the temporary rental of Spanish homes and properties to friends or acquaintances from Germany and all over the world.
    + The record has already been broken: 519,000 passengers have been through the airport of Son Sant Joan this past week, outdoing last year's record by 34,000 or 7.13%, in spite of the fact that it is under construction. With the exception of the areas of Deià and Sóller, where hotels are 67% full, the rest of the island has broken records in this aspect too, with an average of 96% occupancy.
    + Victory for the Sol Meliá group: As a consequence of measures taken by the EU committee and certain foreign ministers, U.S. president, Bill Clinton, has decided to postpone enforcing the economic sanctions on foreign companies collaborating with Castro's regime that had been agreed upon by the Congress of the United States. Owning several hotels in Cuba, this Mallorquín hotel chain (number three in the worldwide ranking of hotels) would have been seriously affected by the Helms-Burton law.
    +German photographer and publisher, Gustav Brauer, is on the look-out for articles and photographic reports for his CD-Rom Mallorca's Cultural Landscape. Those interested can contact him at (+49/421) 32 42 19.

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