An example of the current Palma logo.

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The town hall administration is wanting to update Palma's tourist branding but it has postponed any change following the intervention of the Partido Popular and various associations who consider that this would amount to political interference.

There is a proposal for a tender worth 16,000 euros to come up with a new brand image and for the name of the city in this image to be changed from Palma de Mallorca to Palma. The Balearic parliament, it will be recalled, has given the town hall its initial approval to officially drop "de Mallorca" from the city's name.

Javier Bonet of the PP believes that the change would be wholly a political decision and would be the first one to affect the Palma 365 Foundation. The success of the foundation, he says, has been because politicians have stayed out and allowed professionals to get on with their work. A change in brand image would be totally political. "Although they might want to dress it up, it coincides with the change of name of the city."

Bonet adds that the proposal has been withdrawn because of the opposition of businesses as well as that of the PP. He insists that no decision that affects the foundation should be taken if there are votes against it.

Joana Adrover, the tourism councillor and vice-president of the foundation says that the proposed change is not political but has in fact been one made by the foundation's management. "It is not a re-branding but an updating. The same logo has been used for four years, and the director of the foundation has found that it fits more with an image of sun-and-beach tourism rather than the current urban tourism." As for a change of name, the word Mallorca would not disappear, she adds, as the idea would be to have an association with the whole island.

She concludes that there will be an update but doesn't know when.