Mallorca golf: 250,000 euros for Rolex Final draws fire

Mallorca’s 250,000-euro grant to promote the Rolex Golf Final is under fire after a summer of water cuts in island towns. Fridays For Future Mallorca criticised the public funding on Friday, 30 October. The tournament takes place at Club de Golf Alcanada for the sixth year running.

The environmental group says the grant comes from the Mallorca Responsible Tourism Foundation and is funded by the sustainable tourism tax. It questions spending that money on an event linked to luxury tourism while people are asked to use less water.

Golf and water on Mallorca

Golf accounts for around 4 per cent of Mallorca’s total water use, according to Fridays For Future. The island has 24 courses covering about 750 hectares.

Some irrigation uses treated wastewater. But the group asks whether farms could benefit from that water instead, pointing to substantial supply restrictions in several Mallorca municipalities this summer.

Alcanada’s green measures questioned

Fridays For Future also accuses Club de Golf Alcanada of using donations to reforestation and organic farming projects to give itself a green image. It says the initiative raised 5,000 euros last year — too little, in its view, against the environmental impact of the tourism model the tournament promotes.

The group also says reusable bottles, refill stations, bins and buses for tournament-goers do not answer the island’s water problems or the wider climate emergency. It says the agreement to promote the tournament has been extended until 2030.

Topics: Environment · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com