More country hotels? Son Macià Negre and Son Sales receive tourism status — and what that means for the island

More country hotels? Son Macià Negre and Son Sales receive tourism status — and what that means for the island

Key question: Who benefits from the reclassification of historic possessions — the people who live under their roofs or tourism growth?

The island council has formally enabled two large estates in Marratxí, Son Macià Negre and Son Sales, to be used in the future as agritourism businesses. This decision is part of a broader allocation round that granted places for up to 500 tourist beds in buildings catalogued as cultural assets. At first glance that sounds like renovation instead of decay: abandoned fincas come back to life. At second glance, however, the question arises whether heritage preservation here is being subordinated to market interests.

The facts are simple: Both possessions stood empty for a long time and fell into disrepair. New owners want to renovate and operate them for tourism. In the same tender a prominent property in Llucmajor — a hotel on a former fortress — also received additional permitted uses. Other estates, such as S'Estalella or sa Granja de Esporles, were excluded from approval — for reasons of preventive monument protection or because municipalities deliberately wanted to prevent tourist conversions.

The decision triggers different benefits and risks at the same time. Positive: investors bring money for restoration, roofs get repaired, and people can find work. Negative: when historic buildings are opened according to market logic, there is a risk that public access and local identity are lost. An old manor house renovated for paying guests is not automatically "saved"; often access for locals remains restricted, and secondary costs like water, waste or traffic increase in the surrounding area.

Three things are missing in the public debate: first, transparent criteria according to which buildings with BIC status are admitted for tourist places; second, binding conditions that secure renaturalization and local use; third, a clear distribution of revenues in favor of the municipality and not only the owners. Without these elements, the island runs the risk of turning cultural assets into disguised holiday resorts.

A typical early-morning scene in Marratxí shows what is at stake: on the road to Bunyola, where the access to Son Sales branches off, a delivery van is headed to the market, chickens cluck behind a wall and the smell of freshly baked ensaimadas drifts from a bakery. A few hundred meters away an excavator starts its engine — renovation work begins, but the neighborhood asks: Will our path remain public? Who will pay for parking if guests suddenly arrive?

Concrete proposals so that conversion to agritourism does not only benefit owners: binding contracts to preserve monument-worthy fabric; limits on guest numbers per municipality; mandatory local employment contracts and preferential purchasing from local producers; transparency of submitted restoration plans and resident participation before approval. In addition, tourist places in historic buildings should be tied to compensations — for example, regular days with free access for the population or revenue shares for municipal restoration funds.

Transport planning matters: Son Macià Negre was long unattractive because a planned second Palma ring road was to run right next to it. The project is now politically considered unlikely, but proximity to transport axes remains a factor that will drive noise and demand in the future. The island council must disclose such infrastructure perspectives in allocation processes.

Conclusion: The revival of derelict possessions can be an opportunity if heritage preservation, the common good and tourism use are treated as equals. Without clear, public rules, however, historic buildings risk becoming mere backdrops — for expensive nights and vague promises to local communities. Walking through Marratxí today you can hear the drill of craftsmen and the church bells of neighboring parishes. It would be a pity if soon the neighbors' voices were drowned out by hotel air conditioners.

Checklist for authorities and residents: transparency in allocations, binding municipal clauses, limits per area, publicly accessible restoration plans and a conservation fund financed by tourism revenues.