Mallorca is with 3.600 sq km the largest of the five Balearic Islands. The capital Palma de Mallorca is the political, economical and cultural centre of Mallorca as well as of the four remaining islands Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera. From the total of approximately 1 million inhabitants about 40 % are living in the capital today, more than twice as much as 30 years ago. Palma de Mallorca is a city with two faces: a pulsating and modern city with international ambience yet also featuring a completely intact old town with monuments of the World Heritage Site, where the Mallorquins still cherish their traditions and customs as if time would have been standing still. Due to its good accessability from the continent, its mild, subtropical climate with more than 300 sunny days per year, its charming countryside and crystal-clear sea – to name just a few reasons – Mallorca is one of the most favoured destinations in Europe. Mallorca tourism already began in the 19th century. Compared to now, this were just modest beginnings of course. Surely the most famed "tourists" of these days were composer Frédéric Chopin, who came with his love George Sand and her children to spend the whole winter of 1838 in Valldemosa, and archduke Ludwig Salvator, who spent many years on Mallorca and purchased the unique 16 km costal stretch between Valldemosa and Deìa to build the guesthouse ‘Ca Madó Pilla’ for those who wanted to enjoy the landscape. Ludwig Salvator himself stayed in the three manor houses ‘Son Marroig’, ‘Son Moraques’ and ‘Son Miramar’, today highly frequented tourist attractions themselves. Today you can still marvel at the beauty of the coast from the observation towers known as ‘miradores’ built by the archduke. With the beginning of the 20th century more and more tourists came to visit Mallorca, and a touristic infrastructure began to grow. In 1903 the island's first hotel, the ‘Grand Hotel’, was opened, and in 1905 the world's first tourist service association ‘Fomento del Turismo’ was founded for promoting Mallorca as touristic destination. In 1907 the first tourist group made it to the island, and in 1935 as much as 50.000 tourists travelled to Mallorca. After the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the 2nd World War tourism nearly came to a halt. But in 1950 again about 100.000 tourists came to the Balearic island. With the opening of the international airport ‘Son Sant Joan’ Mallorca became still better accessible, so that already during the 1960’s about 1 million foreigners visited the island. Until today the yearly number of tourists is continuously increasing. While Mallorca was popular for family holidays during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, tourism began to change a few years ago. Many celebrities, politicians, sportsmen and business people came to Mallorca, often to acquire housing property on the island. Golf courses were built, small landing places turned into luxury yacht harbours, many first-class restaurants and luxury hotels opened. Yet also nature lovers will find adequate attractions on Mallorca. The Tramuntana Mountains, for example, offer hiking trails where one may enjoy Mallorca's intact and fantastic nature and traditional villages. No matter if you spend your holidays in a luxury 5-star hotel, on the beach with your family, or hiking in early spring when the almonds are in bloom, Mallorca is an island with many faces never losing its original charm. All these are reasons why Mallorca over the last years has been growing more and more popular for all sorts of events. Many of those who are planning private or business events on Mallorca already know the island from earlier stays and appreciate its many advantages, such as climate, landscape, infrastructure, variety and quick accessibility at low cost. Accomodation, too, is in most cases less expensive than in Britain, thanks to special offers for every season. A wide selection of event locations and congress centres, which is even to be extended over the next years, complete the package of facilities.