Jordi Rosselló Ramón is the president of Grupo Roxa, which has interests in hotels, real estate and car dealerships. He is to be awarded the Balearics College of Economists' 2025 Gold Medal for Business Achievement.
Roxa started out as a tailor's shop on C. Sant Miquel in Palma; the shop opened in 1942. Its development and diversification has been such that there are now eight hotels (the Blau brand), three of these in Mallorca. There are two in Asturias and three in Cuba.
The hotels' prospects for this season, he says, are very good, "despite everything that's happening around the world". "But being realistic, I'm concerned that we could die of success. I'm convinced we should consider a different tourism model in Mallorca."
Reflecting on protests, the actions of radical youth group Arran and the Mallorca hoteliers' publicity to thank tourists, Rosselló's view is that "success is measured by what one has to give up in life: health, family, leisure". "You can't have it all, and in Mallorca we have only one industry that stands out and pulls the cart forward - tourism. People should be more conscious when speaking out en masse, and since ecology is so fashionable, I must say that I prefer our tourism industry to a heavy and polluting industry.
"But balance must be sought at all costs. Our identity, our culture, our customs, and our language must be respected and cannot be overwhelmed by uncontrolled tourism. I believe we need to take a more forward-looking and long-term view when asserting and safeguarding our identity values."
On real estate, Rosselló explains that the company isn't directly involved in residential development. He stresses that there must be solutions to the problems with accessing affordable housing; "otherwise the tourism model could collapse".
"Residential housing should be for residents, for people dedicated to ensuring that Balearic society enjoys a high level of public and private services. It is unacceptable for homes to be rented out to tourists without any type of oversight, behind the backs of the administration and to the detriment of the people who work in the islands' services and activities. Due to the geographical situation, the Balearics are one of the places where holiday rentals have had the most detrimental effect in Spain."