Spain has its own Mykonos. And share with her something more than the coast and the wrapped houses: mass tourism

Its wrapped houses, terraces, alleys and landscapes of the Mediterranean coast earned him Binibeca Vell The nickname “Mykonos Español”but over time this small town in Menorca has ended looking to the famous island of the cycles for another different reason: the Tourist saturation. As is the case in the Greek destiny, The town It fills every summer of thousands of visitors, an avalanche that is not always easy to fit in the routine of its neighbors.

Hence they have decided to take action.

A Spanish Mykonos? Yes. In fact, this informal title is disputed by several locations in the country, such as Frigilianain Malaga, or The Moorish Isletin Almería. Both stand out for their low houses of enchanted facades, narrow alleys, terraces and coastal landscapes bathed by the light of the Mediterranean.

Exactly the same as Binibeca Vella small urbanization located in the south of Menorca, within the municipality of Sant Lluís. Its landscapes have made time win the nickname “Mykonos Menorquín” and a hole on the websites of the travel agencies, Blogs And even in The promotion of the Balearic institutions.

What is its origin? Binibeca is not only known as “Mykonos de Baleares”. The locals also usually refer to it as “fishing village”, although in reality its origin has little to do with the people who make a living in the Mediterranean. The settlement is located in an old sailor shelter, but what we see today rose in the early 1960s as a residential urbanization driven by the rigger Antonio Sintes and the architect Corsini beardwho were inspired by Greece.

The result is a picturesque populated with white houses glued to each other, 165 constructions distributed by an built surface of about 8,000 square meters located in a privileged environment, just in front of the sea. The Binibeca owners community stands out Another of its peculiarities: the settlement is “an urbanization”, “a private property” in which it is the residents themselves who are responsible for paying a fee for the maintenance of the area.

And do tourists receive? Yes. Many. The community of owners ensures that in recent years visits “have increased significantly” to overcome the 800,000 annuallya considerable fact if one takes into account that in the area they reside just 200 people And during the winter months that figure is minimized. Maybe this disproportion between the number of residents and the great flow of visitors, but makes enough sense.

To start with the tourist success of the Balearic Islands in General and Menorca in particular, which receives each year hundreds of thousands of tourists. Secondly, due to the visibility and promotion of the town, both in the networks and through Agencies, Forums And even Balearic institutions. “If you put the Menorca word on Instagram, of every 10 images that appear, three are from Binibeca Vell,” assured last year to The country Óscar Monge, president of the community of owners.

What is coexistence like? If the neighbors of Mykonos island know something (the authentic, the one located in the cycles) is that living in a Mediterranean paradise is not always simple. On the website of the urbanization the residents themselves They recognize That the avalanche of tourists has a direct effect in its day to day, “complicating coexistence.” “Port adventure looks like, but they at least charge you the entrance,” summarize Monge. In practice that translates into dealing with tourists eager to achieve the best Selfie They do not hesitate to sneak into a private terrace to get it.

“Tourists touch everything. One of our neighbors has many plants in pots and tourists move them to get a better photo. They sit in chairs in private porches,” explained a few months ago to The Telegraph one of the inhabitants of the urbanization. “They speak very high and the noise resonates because the town is small and closed. They sit on the stairs and, when the owner asks them to move, they refuse because they want to get the perfect photo.”

And what have they done? Move token. That Binibeca is a private urbanization with a community of owners, not a real town of fishermen, makes its residents face tourist saturation with a different approach to that of other Balearic residents. Last year The community decreed that would allow visits only in a certain time slot, during the day. The rest of the time the space would remain closed with chains with notices.

In The urbanization website A small plane can be consulted in which the visible areas, passage areas and the visiting schedule are detailed, restricted from 10.00 to 22.00 h. There are also certain guidelines for visitors: they are silent, keep the environment clean, not take photos for commercial purposes or inside the houses and, of course, that they do not enter into private homes or feel on the terraces. “When you visit us remember that you have entered a private property and you must respect the privacy of the neighbors,” They underline.

Is there more? Yes. In 2023 the community and the Consell de Menorca reached a pact to lighten tourist pressure on the town, which passed among other issues to regulate the arrival of buses or help in the conservation of the area. The agreement It was not renewed However and a year ago the community threatened to go further and Vote the total closure From urbanization to tourism, a drastic measure because the flow of tourists is key to the businesses located in the area.

“We pay expensive to be the most popular tourist attraction of Menorca”, Monge lamented. “Binibeca is promoted by the island administration and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get from it? We have nothing against tourism, but sometimes it seems that we live in Disneyland.” Their complaints of 2024 have served for the moment to promote a change in tourists, among which they appreciate (except exceptions) an attitude “a bit more moderate.”

And what do they plan to do? A few days ago residents shared with eldiario.es Another much less drastic measure to order the transfer of tourists: create a series of itineraries so that visitors can travel the town without entering into their interior. “We know nothing from the agreement, they have not summoned us more meetings. Although it is true that the schedule is respected, so many people visiting such a small space is not to generate discomfort,” Clarifies another neighbor.

Images | Wikipedia and Markus Trienke (Flickr)

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