Beyond Sangria and Sun: Alternative Tourism on Mallorca: Case Study on hiking tourism in the Sierra de Tramuntana

Since the beginning of the 1990th, the government of the Balearic Islands has been following the goal to improve the public image of Mallorca which is currently dominated by negative aspects such as mass tourism and excessive alcohol consumption. Hiking tourism, which is already offered in the central region of the island is regarded as one strategy to change and diversify this image. The paper at hand describes the situation of hiking tourism on Mallorca by focusing on the mountain range “Sierra de Tramuntana” in the west and the north-west of Mallorca as the exemplary area of study. The finca “La Trapa" in the Sierra de Tramuntana is a famous hiking destination for natives and tourists and offers great touristic potential and the required preconditions to establish sustainable tourism in this area. Through Stakeholder interviews and surveys different and partly contrary visions for the future of La Trapa were identified. Based on the stakeholder opinions, proposals were developed to establish a new management plan for La Trapa.