JAIME MARTÍNEZ LLABRÉS

MAYOR

PALMA CITY COUNCIL

. PALMA, IN THE BEST HANDS .

There is no doubt that Palma is becoming one of the most attractive cities in Europe.

Vibrant, cosmopolitan and always surprising, Palma is today a city with a combination of qualities that make it truly unique.

Under the leadership of Mayor Jaime Martínez Llabrés, Palma stands as a beautiful mosaic of infinite possibilities that perfectly fuses its rich historical and heritage heritage with a vision of a sustainable future and a fascinating cultural offer.

A city in constant movement that is projected into the future as a benchmark in Sustainability, with initiatives that promote innovation and social welfare, reflecting the commitment of the consistory to the continuous improvement of the city and the comprehensive care of its environment.

Palma, the jewel-city in the heart of the Mediterranean, always offers new treasures to discover, such as a precious box of surprises that captivates not only with its impressive architectural heritage and its streets marked by history, but also with a rich and diversified tourist offer capable of offering unforgettable experiences in all areas: culture, history and heritage, nature and sports, delicious gastronomy and also the best shopping, whether of charming local and artisanal products or top international brands.

 Today, at The Ambassadors Sections, we interview Jaime Martínez Llabrés, the Mayor of Palma, deeply committed to the continuous improvement of the city, and a regal person with an impeccable track record politically, professionally and personally.

 His training as an Architect at the Barcelona School of Architecture, complemented by specializations in urban law and contemporary art, allows Jaime Martínez Llabrés to tackle urban projects with a comprehensive perspective and a high-level strategic vision.

 The main architect of the implementation of initiatives and projects aimed at innovation and technological development, the Mayor of Palma puts at the service of the city his brilliant ability to identify and develop solutions that enrich the city and improve the quality of life of its residents and visitors.

 Jaime Martínez Llabrés is a visionary and multifaceted leader, an exemplary politician and above all a Mayor deeply committed to the sustainable development of Palma, integrating culture, innovation and social cohesion into his vision of the city, a city that, today more than ever, shines in all its splendour.

Palma is, without a doubt, in the best hands.

Dear Mayor, thank you so very much for receiving us today.

It is an honour for us to have the opportunity to transmit its vision and its main city projects at an international level, through initiatives that are contributing to the fascinating transformation that Palma is experiencing as a benchmark city in Innovation and Sustainability.

Thank you, Patricia, it is a pleasure for me to give voice and visibility to the main pillars and projects in the firm commitment of this City Council to make Palma an international benchmark in terms of Culture, Innovation and Sustainability.

We are working on building the best possible version of Palma, the city we want.

One of our main objectives is to position the city to make of Palma the European Capital of Culture by 2031 in order to consolidate it as a cultural epicentre of reference in Europe, a city capable of offering an agenda rich in cultural events and activities that celebrate and value both our local traditions and the most contemporary artistic expressions.

Palma is a city that honours its past while moving with determination towards a sustainable future that integrates culture, sustainability, innovation and quality of life as our main hallmarks, a unique proposal to position ourselves as one of the most attractive cities in Europe.

Mayor, another of the most important projects already in process is the revitalization of what will be the new Digital District, the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay, one of the initiatives that will bring the most benefits to the city.

That’s right. The Palma Culture & Innovation Bay is one of our most ambitious projects, an initiative promoted by the Palma City Council and in collaboration with the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Consell de Mallorca, the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), with the aim of transforming the Nou Llevant area and Palma’s seafront, into a benchmark district in innovation, culture and sustainability.

This project includes more than 50 initiatives focused on innovation, sustainability and the knowledge economy, including the creation of a Digital Hub, aimed at promoting the audiovisual industry, a workshop Fab-Lab, the creation of The talent residency, which will be a complementary headquarters of the UIB, also promoted by the University of the Balearic Islands in order to promote affordable housing for teachers and researchers and promote research, as well as a new train line Palma-Llucmajor, which will significantly improve mobility and connectivity in the region.

It is also planned to develop a space for the implementation of innovation projects, as well as to give a much more relevant role to the international projection of the Palau de Congressos de Palma.

I would like to highlight in particular that the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay also includes the creation of the Central Culture and Innovation Building, located in the emblematic old GESA building, located in a truly privileged location on the seafront, and which, after more than 15 years abandoned, will be reborn to become the artistic and cultural space of reference in the city.

The Palma Culture & Innovation Bay is much more than a city project…

It is almost a historical milestone

Indeed. We are deeply proud and excited about this initiative, it is one of our most ambitious projects.

The general protocol of actions for the creation of the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay was signed on February 17th. and is one of the projects that best illustrates our firm objective of promoting a new city model, promoting the implementation of emerging economic activities and the restructuring of public spaces through innovation, culture, the blue and green economy and sustainability.

The Palma Culture & Innovation Bay represents a unique opportunity to promote the knowledge economy from multiple perspectives, as it brings together the main economic sectors that represent practically the entire productive fabric of Palma and the Balearic Islands: Technological and Industrial Innovation, Tourism from the perspective of Innovation, the Energy Transition and the commitment to efficiency and renewable energies, Cultural Industries, Sports, as well as Nautical Training and Research in the context of the marine environment.

And it will also significantly transform the urban physiognomy of the city

Yes, located in the Nou Llevant area, on the seafront, the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay will extend its area of influence towards the Passeig Marítim, incorporating the Port as an undisputed pole of technological innovation, generation of economic activity and transfer of knowledge.

Within the framework of Sustainability, the creation of the new Parc Verd de Llevant, the remodelling of the Parc Wifi and the re-naturalisation of the Parc Krekovic, the integration of the Bosc Metropolità, the rehabilitation of the Molinos d’en Garleta and Son Parera, and the remodelling of the Passeig Marítim will also be highlighted.

Thanks to the acquisition of the old GESA building and its adjoining plots by the City Council, Palma’s seafront is now owned by all the people of Palma, and the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay will be a benchmark space in the field of innovation, art and culture in the city.

This, added to other projects such as the Baluard del Príncep, Can Ribas, the Krekovic Cultural Centre, the new Caixa de Música, which will be the headquarters of the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, and the Parc de la Música, will complete the new cultural initiatives that will gain space in the Nou Llevant district.

As for the Blue Economy, the incorporation of new technologies in the surroundings of the beaches is foreseen, in order to improve the management of the information received by users, as well as the development of an Oceanographic Institute, the implementation of a Nautical-Fishing Vocational Training Center, the creation of a Sailing School, as well as the provision of spaces for the promotion of projects in the field of nautical innovation.

Housing will also play an essential role within the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay, with the provision of new spaces for the construction of homes and the opening of new interconnection axes between the neighbourhoods of La Soledat and Nou Llevant.

In terms of mobility, the entire area will benefit from the new Palma-Llucmajor train line  projected by the Balearic Government, the expansion of the BiciPalma network, and will also have car parks in strategic locations.

It is a fabulous project, citizens and visitors will be equally benefited and excited…

That is our wish, our objective and the main reason of this project.

Through the acquisition by the Palma City Council of the old GESA property, we have achieved the full municipalization of the city’s seafront façade, practically from the Llotja to the Palau de Congressos, making it possible to transform an area with a privileged location, which will go from having a building abandoned for more than 15 years, to give birth to the new Municipal Institute of the Arts, a large central library with a media library and playroom, with large exhibition spaces and an office for attention and information to citizens, among many other uses.

The project’s headquarters building will have different rooms and exhibition areas that will house important art collections thanks to different agreements we are currently working on, such as the one recently reached with the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.

In addition to giving new life to one of the most important strategic areas of the city, the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay will decisively transform the Nou Llevant neighbourhood and the seafront, becoming one of the most vibrant and attractive areas of the city and will also house offices and a business incubator with activities specifically linked to Innovation and Sustainability.

It is exciting, without a doubt, but above all it is truly gratifying and reassuring, both for residents and visitors, to see how the city evolves towards an increasingly sustainable model through Culture and Innovation

It is. Palma is already a wonderful city today, but it also has an extraordinary potential still to be developed in the future.

These initiatives highlight the progress in the roadmap that the government team has set itself since the beginning of the legislature, promoting unprecedented projects that will make it possible to reconvert the Nou Llevant neighbourhood, the Seafront and the Port into a real pole of attraction for talent, innovation, sustainability and culture in all its variants.

That is what Sustainability is for us, working with a vision of the future with the aim of positioning Palma at the top of the cities that are leading the technological and cultural revolution of the 21st century at an international level.

Palma is experiencing a very sweet moment under your leadership.

It is great to appreciate the collaboration between the main political actors, looking in the same direction and working together towards the same goals

Collaboration and unity are key factors in ensuring that city projects can be carried out successfully, and for us it is essential to work together not only with the rest of the protagonists of the public sector, but also with the private sector, in the same way that our vision of the city integrates and takes into account both the residents and the visitors.

The quality of Palma as a city and as a destination is made by all of us, and our priority has been to work from the beginning on two clearly differentiated but equally important lines of work: one is the line of what we could call urgent work, which must give immediate results, such as cleaning, the safety and quality of the general services of Palma as a city, which is what we all perceive of our city on a daily basis.

The other line of work, which is longer-term but just as relevant, is the line that we could call important, which cannot be applied immediately, because it involves a process, but it is just as relevant in terms of the city model of the future on which we are working.

Cities generate experiences, and we want Palma to generate positive experiences, offering from an impeccable level of cleanliness and safety, to a rich and diversified complementary offer that allows both residents and visitors to enjoy a positive perception and an unforgettable experience of Palma as a city.

That is my vision, but in order to carry it out successfully I have the commitment and involvement of the wonderful team that surrounds me at the City Council, as well as the support and collaboration of all local and regional administrations, so that we work together and are perfectly coordinated in all the issues and projects that result in success and a common benefit for all citizens.

If we talk about Culture, for example, the different policies are being coordinated at regional, provincial and municipal level so that they are truly complementary and there are no different messages about what kind of culture we want, be it related to music, cinema, art, and theatre, that is, in all the performing arts, and this coordination is important and essential in all areas.

If we talk about Innovation, the great project of the Digital District in Palma, the Palma Culture & Innovation Bay, I believe that in addition to being enormously beneficial for residents and visitors, it will also be very attractive for investors.

And yes, I totally agree that Palma is experiencing a very sweet moment, and I think that in large part it is because we have been laying very solid foundations and with very clear objectives, aimed at developing transformative projects for the city linked to innovation, culture, sport and tourism knowledge, and these are truly the greatest drivers of change towards Sustainability.

Sustainability and Circularity, it is as if through this modernisation Palma was able to rediscover its own essence

That’s right. I always keep in mind that I am truly privileged to be able to work for a city that, in itself, is already a real jewel.

Palma truly brings together a combination of qualities that make it a truly unique city.

Because of our geographical location in the heart of the Mediterranean, because of our history, because of the crossroads of cultures that has taken place in our territory over the centuries, we have a complexity of nuances that makes us especially attractive from countless perspectives.

It is clear that Palma, as a destination, works, because it has countless attractions, and yet we are concerned about contributing more to further improve and make even better the quality of life of our people, our citizens, our residents and also to improve and enrich the perception and experience of our visitors.

Palma as a city still has a lot to say and a lot to offer, and in the current debate, so complex and at the same time so relevant for cities of great tourist attraction, there is a message that is important to listen to, in order to be able to take the path and the relevant measures.

That is why we are working on the Palma of the future, to make it a benchmark in sustainability and an emblem of quality of life.

We want to be a vibrant, fascinating and cosmopolitan destination capable of continuing to attract tourists and visitors from all over the world, yes, but also to do so with a view to the well-being and quality of life of our residents.

It is a goal that requires putting in place many measures aimed at achieving balance, and that is currently one of our main priorities.

We are the City Council of all citizens, and part of our responsibility is to contribute to raise awareness and to promote an increasingly harmonious interaction between the residents we have and the visitors we welcome, because, in the end, the quality of life in a city is largely based on the quality of coexistence,  and Palma wants to be the city that not only achieves, but leads, a model of well-being for all.

Palma has the uniqueness of being a city located in one of the best bays in the Mediterranean, while flanked by the majestic beauty of the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana, a large metropolitan forest that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Sea, the Sky and the Mountains, which are increasingly integrated more and better in this unique city that offers so much in such a small territory.

That is why among our main city projects we want to highlight the richness of our diversity, which in Palma has an impressive value.

To value the sea, in what we now call the blue economy, and to value the mountains, the green economy, because, in short, that is truly what Sustainability is about.

Mayor, the Palma City Council has also announced the creation of the Botanical Garden, another initiative that reinforces its commitment to sustainability, culture and scientific research.

Yes, this project will be developed in two complementary locations: on the one hand, Ses Cases des Retiro, located next to the Bellver forest, will serve as an interpretation centre for the Mediterranean pine forest and will include an environmental education classroom and a botanical collection focused on the characteristic species of this ecosystem.

On the other hand, the Parc de les Vies, an area of 31,543 square meters north of the Son Fuster roundabout, will host botanical representations of various regions with a Mediterranean climate, such as the Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, southwestern Australia and the Western Cape of South Africa. We also plan to re-naturalise the Torrente de na Bàrbara, which will also contribute to the environmental improvement of the area.

The Botanical Garden will not only further beautify the city, but will also function as an educational and cultural space that will offer thematic visits, events and activities related to botany, bringing more international cultural relevance to Palma, as well as serving as a point of scientific research and environmental improvement for the Parc de les Vies.

This project also stands out within the framework of the important investments that we are making from the City Council for the comprehensive improvement of the city, especially in areas such as social protection, citizen safety and sustainability.

The Botanical Garden, together with other ambitious projects that we have in process, such as the Metropolitan Forest, will contribute significantly to Palma’s model as the greenest city, consolidating the city as a benchmark for sustainability and quality of life.

For us, continuing to increase green areas in the city is essential, because that is also promoting an increasingly deep connection between citizens and nature, the best example of integrating sustainability into urban development.

Mayor, also for residents, and not only for visitors, Palma is like a beautiful box of surprises, isn’t it?

A city always capable of offering new attractions to discover

Yes, and in terms of history, for example, in many ways Palma is still largely unknown to the residents themselves.

It should be borne in mind that Palma was founded by the Romans in 123 BC, that is more than 2,000 years of history and urban life since our origins, in which Palma has undergone a continuous process of transformation.

And that is precisely one of our main attractions: We have been crossroads of paths and cultures, and all of them have enriched us in their path. To this movement of cultures we owe today the richness of our historical and cultural heritage, a mosaic of diversity marked by influences that have enriched us throughout our history.

I am always proud to say that Palma has one of the largest and most beautiful historic centres in Europe.

The first thing to be able to value our potential for the future is to value our past, our history, our origins, to value all those cultures and influences that, in their wake, have enriched us in one way or another and have contributed to the magic that Palma exudes today.

And it is this fascinating story of ours, together with the vision of the future that we have for our city, that drives us to bet with such enthusiasm and enthusiasm on becoming the European Capital of Culture in 2031.

We are now working with a series of projects with UNESCO to have the port fortifications and what is the Gothic architecture of the city declared a World Heritage Site.

We are also working very actively with the figure of Joan Miró, one of the most universal artists and the only one who has two personal workshops in the city.

For this reason, we have also launched the Miró Year in Palma 2033, which will further underline and consolidate our essence as European cultural capital through its work and its legacy in our city.

Palma is full of surprises, yes, and on a cultural level it will soon be a new experience to be able to rediscover all its treasures.

There is no element more integrating than culture… and also from the tourism point of view it is one of the segments that most helps to deseasonalize

Totally. Culture can and should be enjoyed throughout the year, and deseasonalisation is another of our main objectives, hence the importance on our part of promoting culture, heritage and sport simultaneously, because they are the three factors that best allow the city to be structured at a territorial and social level, and that contribute the most to sustainability.  redesigning the model of how we can and should redirect the arrival of tourists to the city.

They are high-value tourist segments that also combine perfectly with other attractions offered by the city, such as gastronomy and shopping, and of course our privileged geographical location in the heart of the Mediterranean and the excellent quality of our connection infrastructures, which allow us to be very easy to transport with the main European cities.  and of course Spanish.

Nowadays, it is not necessary to dream of summer to come and enjoy Palma, on the contrary, Palma offers dream attractions throughout the year to enjoy getaways or weekends oriented to gastronomy, or shopping, or cultural events of all kinds.

In April, for example, Palma becomes the epicentre of the best sailing in the world, with the celebration of two events of great international attraction: thePalma International Boat Showand theBalearic Superyacht Forum,which will bring together world leaders in the sector in Palma to discuss the future of superyachts in the region, addressing issues such as the modernization of infrastructures and the growth of the sectorRefitand strategies to be increasingly competitive on the world nautical map.

Deseasonalisation in Palma is already a reality and the City Council continues to work to promote it, because this gradual and constant flow of visitors outside the high summer season has a positive impact on the city’s economy, benefiting local shops, restaurants and hotels throughout the year, and therefore Palma’s competitiveness as a sustainable destination.

Diversification is also very important. Not only in terms of our economic sectors but also in terms of the markets we target and want to be able to attract.

Beyond our natural area of proximity, the EU-Mediterranean, we are also opening up to the American market, as it is a booming country in terms of potential for Palma, as well as the Middle East and Asia.

Regarding the American market, we have already increased direct air connections with the USA: we already have direct flights  from New York to Palma and our focus is also on Miami, where we also want to have direct flights in the near future.

This opening is very important for the city’s economy in general, especially for hotels, shops and restaurants, which have noticed this connectivity with a significant increase in the influx of American customers in their establishments.

The increase in this connectivity is not only positive from a hotel and commercial point of view, but also from an investment point of view: the American investor is looking at Palma as a destination in which to invest with high value-added projects that are very positive for the city.

And this same strategy of opening up and diversifying destinations will also be applied to the countries of  the Middle East and Asia, especially China, as they are unavoidable nerve centres of fundamental relevance in the current reality of the world tourism and economic concert.

The opening to new territories is part of the essence, of Palma’s interculturality, because foreign communities are deeply rooted here, as is the gradual internationalisation of our city abroad.

Palma has been twinned with the French city of Perpignan and recently we have also twinned with the city of Tangier, with which we also have a direct flight that allows us to be located at the gateway to Africa in less than two hours of flight.

Tangier represents one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean and the main gateway to Africa, with significant tourism potential, where our companies can also collaborate.

Now we are also in talks with a Chinese city to see how we can join forces and strengthen ties, because although we already have an important Chinese community here, the potential ahead is still to be developed.

In short, we are working on the interculturality of the city so that Palma can get closer and closer to countries and destinations that, until now, it had not yet reached.

Palma is so diverse, a city that contains a thousand worlds…

Yes. Each neighborhood, each area, has its own character and its own personality. Palma is an inexhaustible mosaic of variety and diversity, and beyond a great cultural offer,

Palma also offers a great wealth both in terms of gastronomy and shopping experiences.

Palma offers the possibility of enjoying both Michelin-starred restaurants and restaurants specialising in our local cuisine to immerse yourself in the essence, aromas and flavours of our most traditional cuisine, enjoying delicious typical dishes such as brut rice, stuffed aubergines, sobrasada or ensaimada, among many others.

In our streets, century-old local establishments coexist with the main international firms, which is also a real delight for lovers of good shopping.

Mayor, I imagine that being an architect by profession helps you to visualize, to clearly imagine the model of city that you want for Palma and that you are building through your daily activity…

Possibly, yes. In the end, I would say that architects have that virtue, more than anything else because of the experience of seeing the projects carried out before they are executed, that is, that imagination, that creativity, the vision of what it will be we see before the project has become a reality.

And, based on that premise, what is the best possible version of Palma that you can imagine?

Well… We talked before about the two lines of work about what is important and what is urgent.

I believe that, for me, as Mayor, there is one aspect in which the two converge and that is the desire to contribute to making people happy.

Palma is a city in which more than 100 different nationalities coexist and I feel and want to be the Mayor of everyone and for everyone.

The Palma of my dreams, the one I imagine and work for every day, is an open, attractive and pleasant city, proud of its past and confident in a future full of great possibilities, which generates positive experiences and perceptions for all people, both residents and visitors.

I want Palma to be at the forefront of economic and social development, which thinks essentially about people and their well-being.

The future that I imagine and that we are creating day by day involves a compromise between balance and transformation, through the capacity for collective management, through creativity and innovation, through the participation and interaction of citizens, through transparency and through the quality of public services.

For me it is an immense pride to have the privilege of being the Mayor of this small great city.

I feel deep gratitude for this opportunity that the citizens have given me… and life.

It is a pride comparable only to the enormous responsibility with which both I and the entire team of the consistory work to make Palma a true benchmark and an emblem of coexistence, diversity, quality and sustainability.

That is my vision, and my mission is to make it a reality.

For those who are here and for those who visit us today…

And above all, thinking about the city that those who will be and visit us in the future will find.

JAIME MARTÍNEZ LLABRÉS

The Mayor

Palma de Mallorca

Palma City Hall

Palma de Mallorca, April 1st, 2025

– By Patricia Pal

The Ambassadors Sections

NastaONE International Communication & Foreign Investment Trends

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