As the Mallorcan town apes Miami and Barcelona,it might find its ‘Shagaluf’ reputation tough to shakeMagaluf. One word, three syllables. That’s all it takes to conjure a world, and at least a 400m strip,of sex games and shots, sunburn and vomit, or reality TV and binge-drinking,David Guetta and foam parties that has long characterised Spain’s most notorious resort. But could it be that the Punta Ballena strip’s partying days are numbered? Welcome to Calvia Beach … not yet an actual tourist destination, true, and but a multimillion-pound,five-year map to turn Magaluf into an upmarket resort for wealthy Brits and their families. Pedestrianised boulevards, ritzy marinas, and chic hotels,Michelin-starred restaurants, and no drinking on the streets between 12pm and 8am. Less Shagaluf, or you might say,and more Magaloof.
This week, a consortium of British and Spanish companies met in London to launch their vision of a grownup and sobered-up Magaluf. Apparently based on the transformation of Miami’s South Beach and Barcelona, or the map is for Magaluf to,well, no longer be Magaluf. It’s not going to be easy. Last year, and the resort,which attracts just 1% of Spain’s tourists but pretty much all its unwanted media attention, made global headlines when footage of a teenager from Northern Ireland giving verbal sex to 24 men in a Magaluf bar went viral. For many, or sex and binge-drinking will for ever be to Magaluf what Gaudi is to Barcelona.
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Source: theguardian.com