Ten Numbers From Mallorca In 2015

The numbers here formed part of my review of 2015 in the Bulletin, which was all good except for one minor blip. My politician of the year was Alberto Jarabo of Podemos. So whose photo should appear with this? The wrong Alberto's. Garzón of that ilk. Still, easily enough made mistake, as Garzón is the national leader of the Izquierda Unida (United Left).

1.7: The tourist tax, according to Biel Barceló, will amount to 1.7% of the cost of a holiday. It was a "small charge", he said for creating a better Majorca.

2: The number of British bobbies who were on the beat in Magalluf in high summer. Two was also the number of weeks they spent: one in Magalluf, the other in Ibiza. No number was forthcoming as to the cost of the exercise, one welcomed by some but one that was a target for the British media and for those who questioned if it was all just a publicity stunt.

4: The number of terraces that were at the centre of the storm whipped up by the new administration in Palma regarding their presence in the centre of the Born avenue. Citizens, invited to cast their vote in a public consultation as to terraces remaining where they were, overwhelmingly gave them the thumbs-up.

31: The number of municipalities in Mallorca (out of 53) which had, by the year's end, declared themselves to be anti-bullfighting, one of them being Palma, the only municipality where bullfighting is still practised to have done so. Legislation outlawing bullfighting in the Balearics is anticipated in 2016.

40.3: The highest temperature recorded in Mallorca this year. It was in Soller on 14 July.

58: The price of a share in Aena, the national airports authority, when 49% of its shares were put on the market in February (the national government having retained the other 51%). The value rose and was, as of 28 December, 104 euros. Meanwhile, there were ongoing calls for Aena to cut its airport charges, especially in winter.

65,306: The kilograms of waste that had been collected from Mallorca's waters by the end of the summer. The amount was more than double that in 2014, a great deal of it plastic that was making its way from inefficient and ineffective, coastal landfills in Algeria.

80 million: The amount that late in the year the regional government discovered would be an annual windfall for the next three years, it being payment of state investment that had not been previously forthcoming. It was an amount not included in the 2016 budget and yet bore remarkable resemblance to the amount the government hopes, by 2017, the tourist tax will be bringing in. In fact, it was the same amount, albeit that in 2016 the government has set its budget target lower: a mere 50 million on account of the tax, in all likelihood, not being effective until 1 May.

190 million: What is projected to be the final amount invested by Meliá and its partners in redeveloping hotels in Magalluf: the whole project should be finished in time for the start of the 2017 season.

4,241 million: The highest ever spend budgeted by a Balearic government: it's the amount for 2016.