The number of legal holiday homes in the regions of Majorca (i.e. outside Palma) has increased considerably in recent years. There are now 54,938 places in these properties which are generally sold via well-known websites.
Pollensa is the clear leader with 8,666 places in 1,502 legal houses (villas, chalets). This number equates to one in every ten inhabitants of Pollensa offering a holiday home. High though the number is, there has been stagnant growth for a few years.
Santanyi has 5,040 places and 808 properties and occupies second place among Majorca's municipalities. Alcudia is third with 3,891 places and 617 houses.
One of the more remarkable figures applies to Deya, where a holiday home corresponds to around every nine inhabitants. There are 478 places in some 80 houses in a municipality with only 713 residents. A similar situation exists in Fornalutx. It has 700 residents, 381 tourist places and 76 holiday homes.
A curious fact is that in Arta, which has a population of 7,381, there are 2,042 places, whereas in Calvia (with over 50,000 residents) there are only 1,861 places. Consell and Vilafranca are the two municipalities with the fewest places.
Antoni Sanso, a regional government tourism advisor, says that the increase has been observable in some parts of the island over the past three years. This came about because of a regulatory change in 2012 which included a new type of property.
After the summer, he adds, there will be legal reform that will add properties in apartment blocks, which will pose a great challenge. "We have to study closely what the conditions will be for this reform and do so in liaison with the island councils."