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THE Balearic tourism ministry has organised a new guided walk of the city, which will take place at night and cover local legends.
Details were announced yesterday by tourism chief Joan Flaquer and Francisca Bennasar, the city councillor in charge of tourism.
They were speaking at the newly refurbished tourism office in Calle Santo Domingo, which has now been renamed the Centre of Tourist Routes.
The new walk, number 9, is called Histories and Legends of Palma, and will take place in July and August only. Unlike the other walks, which start at 10.30am, this one will take place at night. There are six other walks in Palma (including the Jewish quarter, the Capuchine convent, modernism and monuments), one in Valldemossa and one in Ciutadella, Minorca. Another is being prepared in Ibiza. They all last for about 90 minutes and cost ten euros.
The Santo Domingo office will now take bookings and provide information on the guided walks in the city, as well as other information of interest to visitors. The new office has been rewired, improvements made to lighting and air conditioning, and the vault of the main room has been repaired, to prevent humidity. Flaquer expressed his satisfaction at the development of the walks, first introduced by the previous government. Led by qualified guides, commentaries are in Spanish, Catalan, English and German. So far this year, nearly 5'000 people have taken one or more of the walks. Other tours without a guide are also being prepared, such as the Oil of Camari route in the valley of Soller, Flaquer said.
Bennasar said that the walks were a good way of extending the season, and added that the city would continue to seek new things to offer visitors. At the moment, the council is preparing a plan for new street signs for places of interest to tourists.
by Irene Taylor
HAVING taken most of the guided walks in Palma, I can safely say that they are entertaining and informative and make you look at familiar surroundings in a new light. When they were first introduced, they cost six euros, a fair and reasonable price for what was offered. But now they cost ten euros. When will the powers that be realise that people seek value for money and increases of more than 50 per cent are just not acceptable.