It was the Majorcan refuge of the composer Frédéric Chopin and, among other peculiarities, Valldemossa owes it the fame that has made it one of the most visited towns in Majorca. In 2023 alone, this town of just over 2,000 inhabitants welcomed more than 800,000 tourists. In addition, today it has become the second municipality with the highest per capita income in Spain, behind the already established Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid). In 2021, Valldemossa was ranked 51st in this ranking. Their neighbors, however, assure that their daily life “continues in the same way” and that it is only the registration of a few millionaires that has upset the balance. “We can’t complain, but the rich are the others,” say some residents of this center located in the heart of the Serra de Tramuntana, declared a world heritage site.
In this town of stone houses, surrounded by olive, oak and almond trees and located 20 kilometers from the capital of the Balearic Islands, traffic is common at any time of the year. Hordes of tourists come to collect souvenirs and many enjoy coffee on the terraces scattered along its main streets. Unlike other surrounding municipalities, this old farm, of great symbolic importance for the Majorcans, has for decades seen increasing numbers of visitors, attracted above all by the Chartreuse which once housed the Polish musician, his wife, the writer George Sand and many painters, politicians and philosophers. Tourism is in fact the city’s main source of income – agriculture was in the past – and the area that generates the most contracts throughout the year. Some voices, like that of the Fundació Iniciatives del Mediterrani, fear that the historic center of the city will be intended exclusively for the tourist monoculture.
It is not in vain that a study of tourist reception capacity carried out in 2019 by the Tramuntana XXI and Palma XXI associations in collaboration with Iniciatives del Mediterrani and the Valldemossa Town Hall revealed that the daily tourist pressure index of the city had 154 tourists per 100 inhabitants, a figure significantly higher than that of all tourist destinations in Spain analyzed by Exceltur a year before the publication of this report. The data also shows that during the period 2012-2017, the number of tourist establishments in the municipality increased by 43%.
Regarding the foreign population that resides in the city, Valldemossa is not a municipality that stands out, like others, for its majority of residents of international origin, as is the case in cities like Deià. In fact, there are 72 registered citizens of German nationality, followed by the English, with 30 inhabitants, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
From 51st place to second place
Beyond these figures, Valldemossa woke up these days with news that surprised more than one: the municipality went from 51st to second place – data relating to 2022 – after increasing its income average of 66.6%, according to income tax statistics for municipalities with more than 1,000 inhabitants published by the Tax Agency. According to this report, the average salary is 67,527 euros per year, compared to 33,006 euros that taxpayers receive across the Balearic Islands.
Neighbors assure, however, that the standard of living of ordinary residents “is completely normal” and that there are “three or four tycoons” who have beaten the statistic. Among them, the businessman Bruno Entrecanales, established on the island for more than a decade and dedicated, among other areas, to the recovery of agriculture, landscape and architectural heritage of some of the most emblematic of Valldemossa. The industrialist, member of the Entrecanales family, owner of Acciona and whose fortune amounts to For 250 million euros, according to Forbes magazine, several years ago he bought the emblematic Son Moragues estate, a possessed more than 500 years old located on the outskirts of the Majorcan municipality.
“Entrecanales, Michael Douglas… They are the ones who have a lot of money. But the people of the city are workers,” says Xim, one of the local residents, in statements to elDiario.es. Sitting on the terrace of the Orígenes cafeteria in Valldemossa, he takes a few sips from his glass of wine and reflects: “With the exception of those who emigrated to America in the sixties, earned money and built nice houses, city people are normal with normal houses. The town’s inhabitants are workers, more or less normal people, and four tycoons who have increased their per capita income through the purchase of old properties and their renovation.
Regarding the prices of housing and basic resources, Xim says that Valldemossa “in general has always been expensive” due to the large influx of tourism. “How is it possible that a house is rented for 2,000 euros? How much should you earn? », deplores this resident of Danish origin, who has lived “all his life” in the town. “My father was Danish, he came to Valldemossa in the 1950s, when there was almost nothing here, not even cars,” he says.
The mayor: “There were registrations of people with money”
The mayor himself, Nadal Torres (from the Independent Group of Valldemossa), emphasizes, without providing private data – “The person who has access to it is the Tax Agency” – that there have been several recordings that have caused the sudden increase in personal income. It is not for nothing that the strong increases in small municipalities – in Valldemossa only 1,130 declarations were presented – are generally linked to the obtaining of extraordinary income by one of the neighbors following a sale or a significant inheritance or because of transfers from higher-income taxpayers to the city.
“We have four or five rich people who have lived here for years and who have bought one or two houses in the town,” says Torres, who avoids linking this situation to the increase in real estate prices in Valldemossa. “Rents are expensive. A person who earns 1,400 or 1,500 euros to live on is going through a difficult time, because they also have to pay for electricity and telephone. But it’s a problem that doesn’t just happen to us,” he adds.
The city, in fact, is not immune to the uncontrolled rise in real estate prices which is shaking all of Majorca due to real estate speculation, the voracity of investment funds and the frenzy of seasonal rentals. In fact, the cheapest – temporary – rental house currently found on the Idealista portal has 82 square meters and is available for 1,200 euros. Regarding the purchase regime, the property with the lowest price is a two-storey, two-bedroom house to renovate for 275,000 euros. The following already amount to more than 400,000. Exorbitant prices which close the doors of the real estate offer to the most modest incomes.
We have four or five wealthy people who have lived here for years and have bought a house or two in the town. The person who has access to tax data is the Tax Agency.
Nadal Torres
— Mayor of Valldemossa
“If you don’t know anyone, it’s very difficult to find accommodation here”
Lucía, who works in an ice cream parlor near La Cartuja, knows this well. “The rent is very high and what we charge is not exorbitant either. They always say that we earn a little more than elsewhere, but what’s more, what you pay in rent isn’t worth it. It is almost impossible to be able to pay your rent alone and there are many people looking for rooms that they cannot find,” explains this young Majorcan, who moved to Valldemossa in 2020 on the recommendation of an acquaintance. “If you don’t know anyone, it’s very difficult to find something here. This is full of holiday homes and the whole town is geared towards tourism, even the supermarket. “Everything is very expensive,” he laments.
He even assures that the prices of shopping force many to do it elsewhere, and in his case at home, but he criticizes that there are elderly people “who do not have the means to go to Palma to do shopping. shopping”. “It’s very sad that they have to pay these prices and when you go out, you can end up spending a lot,” he laments.
Lucía, who regularly frequents elDiario.es due to the influx of tourists to her store, attributes that Valldemosa ranked second in terms of per capita income, behind “the four people who have money.” “There are also people who have lived there all their lives and who have inherited houses. And that’s not a bad thing, it’s the chance they had and it went very well for them. But of course, that’s not the majority. The rest of us work and see how we move forward,” he says.
There are four people who have money. There are also people who have lived their whole lives and inherited houses. And that’s not a bad thing, it’s the chance they had and it went very well for them. But of course, that’s not the majority. The rest of us work and see how we get on.
Lucy
— Resident in Valldemossa
“There are people who have money, but also many people who work”
In another part of the city, Magdalena, from the garden of her house, comments that in Valldemossa “people are more or less well off”, mainly in the neighborhood of low houses where she lives. “The city is full of tourism. Sometimes you can’t pass or park. You’re even too lazy to take your car out,” says the woman, who has always lived in the city. But he recognizes that “we also live from this work”. [en referencia a la industria turística] and nothing can be done about it. “The city itself has a history, important people have passed through there and left their mark,” he says. Regarding the increase in per capita income, Magdalena, who lives in the house her family built sixty years ago, emphasizes that “there are people who have money, but there are also a lot of people who work.
The figures published by the AEAT on the move from Valldemossa to second position in terms of wealth have attracted – even more – all eyes towards this municipality. The mayor rejoices: “It’s good news that we can be second. It’s a beautiful town where a lot of people come and it’s good for local business and commerce. “We will continue to work on it,” he says, visibly satisfied.
