The director of the world-famous Pirates Adventure Show in Magalluf, Richie Prior, has lived and worked in the resort for the best part of 30 years, and he is the first to state that if Magalluf was, and is, as bad as certain sectors of society, in particular politicians, make out, there is no way he would have continued to have worked there.
Born in Enfield, North London, Richie worked as a Redcoat at Butlins and moved to Mallorca in 1990 as a holiday rep. He joined Pirates in 1994 and is the second longest serving staff member.
He says that Magalluf is becoming much more international and the work that has been carried out over the past few years to improve the overall appearance of the resort is paying off.
He adds that Magalluf is still extremely popular with young people and, on the whole, they all have a great time, but there are always going to be a few bad apples who ruin it for everyone but that is going to happen all over the world.
He thinks the campaigns to increase awareness to the dangers of excess drinking etc. are worthy and have worked.
“Magalluf is a great window for Mallorca. It certainly doesn’t represent the rest of the island, but many of the young people who come and have a great time will return for years to come and eventually, when they’ve got families or partners, explore other parts of the island. So Magalluf is important to Mallorca but needs to be treated very carefully because it is always going to be there, as will Pirates, and ready to welcome everyone with open arms.”