Celestí Alomar dies: Mallorca tourism voice mourned

Mallorca is mourning Celestí Alomar, the former Balearic tourism minister whose work helped shape the islands’ push for more sustainable tourism. The Balearic Socialist Party (PSIB) announced his death in Palma on Monday and offered its condolences to his friends and family.

Alomar served as a Balearic Islands MP during the fifth and sixth legislatures. Under Francesc Antich, he led the tourism department from 1999 to 2003.

The PSIB said he had made public service central to his political life and had become an important voice in the islands. It credited him with backing a more diverse economy and pursuing policies intended to curb excesses and create a better balance in tourism.

A key part of that legacy, the party said, was the ecotasa, the tourist tax. It was challenged by parts of the tourism sector at first, but the PSIB said it is now a pioneering reference point in the Balearics and other Spanish holiday destinations.

Amanda Fernández, secretary general of the Socialist Federation of Mallorca, said Alomar’s work as tourism minister and at the Coastal Authority would be remembered. She called him a leading figure and a strong defender of the territory.

Iago Negueruela, secretary general of the Socialist Grouping of Palma, said on social media that Alomar was someone who left a mark, showing that politics also requires vision, courage and commitment.

Topics: Tourism · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com