The Balearic Islands
British tourism to the Balearic Islands really took off at the beginning of the 20th century with the opening of the Grand Hotel in Palma de Mallorca in 1903, and the concerted efforts of local politicians and journalists to develop a competitive tourist industry. However, British travellers had been making their way to the islands long before the Mallorcan initiative, thanks in part to Britain’s century-long occupation of the island of Menorca, which was returned to Spain only in 1802. This talk will explore British tourists’ and travellers’ encounters with the Balearic Islands, where many visitors navigated the clash between their Romantic idea of the island’s position as a stepping-stone between Europe and Africa’ and the visible residue of British military and commercial activity.