Fewer visitors to Menorca's ancient sites spark row
Visitors are down slightly at Menorca's archaeological sites, mainly in the high season, according to the island's conservative People's Party (PP). On 8 October, it accused the socialist PSIB and its Menorca leader, Pepe Mercadal, of criticising the drop while calling for less tourism.
Who brings visitors to the sites?
The dispute centres on the Menorca Talaiòtica Agency, which looks after the island's Talayotic archaeological heritage. That heritage gained Unesco World Heritage status in 2023. The agency's work is to preserve, research and explain the sites, the PP says — not to market them to tourists.
Joan Pons, the PP's spokesman on Menorca's island council, says tourist promotion belongs to the Tourism Promotion Department and the Menorca Tourism Promotion Foundation. He argues that visitor numbers alone cannot show whether the heritage is being well cared for: the condition of the sites and progress in research matter too.
PP points to staff and spending
The agency had one employee when the PP took office in 2023 and now has two, according to the party. Its budget is close to €2 million, and it has set in motion conservation, restoration and research projects worth more than €1.5 million during this term.
Pons rejects the suggestion that the agency is being weakened. For him, its priority is to protect and study the sites, rather than increase visits at any cost.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com