The famous old town of white houses of Binibèquer Vell, one of the busiest places in the south of Menorca, agreed to restrict public access for much of the day from May 1 in order to prevent overcrowding and this week voted against a total ban on tourists. The owners of the white houses of Binibèquer Vell will instead extend the visiting hours by three. The private complex will remain open between 10 am and 10 pm.
This is the least restrictive of the three options proposed in the referendum held by the residents last Friday to ratify the visiting hours and to evaluate new measures in accordance with the process of “tourist pacification” in which they have been immersed for the last two years. Although 27 percent of the residents voted in favour of the total closure of the urbanisation, the majority, 73 percent, opted to return to the initially imposed opening hours of 10am to 10pm.
According to the president of the Binibèquer Vell owners’ association, Óscar Monge, no one opted to continue with the current opening hours, from 11 am to 8 pm. This change means, therefore, an extension of three hours and more time for tourists and visitors to enjoy the unique enclave on the south coast of Sant Lluís.
The referendum was very well attended by property owners: of the 165 owners, 110 attended. The residents said “we have noticed a change” since they started an intense campaign to put an end to the “uncivic attitudes” of some tourists and to inform people that “Binibèquer Vell is not an amusement park, it is a private housing complex”.
The Council of Menorca and Sant Lluís Town Council provide just over 25,000 euros a year to help the owners of these houses to paint, clean and maintain the postcard image, with white walls, similar to the typical landscape of the Greek island of Mykonos.
“We have been a private urbanisation for 52 years, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to enjoy a quiet holiday, as we pay dearly for being the most porpular tourist attraction in Menorca,” said the president of the community. Binibeca is promoted by the administration and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get out of it,” he asked.
Monge also stressed that the houses are worth less and less because of the nuisance suffered by the area due to the overcrowding of visitors, a situation he compared to the Greek island of Mykonos.