The President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, accompanied by the President of the Consell Insular de Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, and the Mayor of Calvià, Alfonso Rodríguez, inaugurated this Monday the new Galatzó shelter, which has been financed through the sustainable tourism tax and is now part of the Consell Insular de Mallorca’s network of shelters.

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With an investment of 1.4 million euros, the former pig stables of the Galatzó estate have been converted into a 50-bed, 12-bedroom refuge that will be the gateway to the Pedra en Sec route through the southern Tramuntana.

During the inauguration visit, Francina Armengol expressed her gratitude for the “institutional loyalty” that has made the creation of this refuge possible and for the fact that “we are working towards common and shared goals, such as protecting an emblematic space, which is the entrance to the Serra de Tramuntana from the west, and for the general interest, which is to protect the territory and fight for environmental sustainability.

The President of the Govern welcomed the expansion of the Consell Insular de Mallorca’s network of refuges, which, in addition to the refuges managed by IBANAT, offer many possibilities for citizens “to enjoy the land, the heritage and a wonderful space that makes you love our environment. And those who know it appreciate it and protect it”.

Finally, Francina Armengol recalled the value of the sustainable tourism tax as a tool for protecting the territory: “today we have proof that this tax is necessary, it is necessary for tourists to contribute part of their resources to help the Balearic Islands mitigate the externalities of tourism”. The president stressed that there are already more than 400 million euros being implemented through different types of projects, focusing on economic diversity, access to housing and the recovery of heritage and natural environments.

The Galatzó estate has been owned by the Calvià Town Hall since 2006. It covers an area of 14 million square metres and occupies 10% of the municipality of Calvià.

The sustainable tourism tax has allowed, since its creation, to collect 409 million euros and to finance projects related to the protection of the environment, the restoration of the historical, architectural, natural or cultural heritage, sustainable mobility or economic diversification. This year, the Sustainable Tourism Tax Commission has approved the allocation of 138 million euros of the proceeds to a total of 27 projects.

The inauguration of the shelter was also attended by the Director General of Tourism, Rosana Morillo, and other island authorities.