72-year-old Richard Branson he is one of the most famous entrepreneurs on the planet. He has been the star of “spicy” headlines for decades due to his commercial and personal adventures.

The British tycoon has won the “race” among billionaires to reach space, despite the fact that his fortune, valued at about $3 billion by Forbes, is light years away from that of his rivals.

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There’s no doubt that London-born Richard Branson knows how to compete and grab the attention of the media. His apparent shyness disappears when upon his arrival at Son Bunyola, the new luxury hotel that has just opened in Majorca, Spain, he does not hesitate to step into the fountain. He even stands on a chair to welcome guests to the opening party.

“In 50 years, I think people will still be looking for the wild.”estimates, “and the big challenge is to make sure it’s similar to how it looks now“, he said to “EL PAÍS”.

Branson got his start in business with Virgin Records, which he founded in 1972 and sold in the early 1990s. But the brand has remained, linked to a collection of diverse businesses, from gyms to phone companies, distinguished by assets linked to with tourism. Branson’s empire includes two airlines, a cruise line and several hotels. In 2021 – according to the report published on the Virgin Group website – the company made a profit of almost 150 million dollars, of which about 20 million dollars came from hotels.

Branson has never been a discreet businessman. His public image is more like that of a famous musician or politician. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, he has already met twice with the Ukrainian president. And his anti-Brexit stance is well known. When asked if he thinks the UK’s departure from the E.U. hurts businesses like the one he just opened in Majorca, he emphatically replies: “There is not a single Englishman working here, which is a pity». In this matter, he makes it clear that there is no room for half measures. “I hope that one day common sense will prevail and someone will ask us if we want to rejoin Europe».

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Born into a wealthy family, Branson took advantage of the hotel’s opening in Mallorca to indulge his nostalgia for the Spanish island. He visited it as a child with his family. And he opened his first hotel there, the luxury La Residencia, which he sold in the 1990s.

Branson fantasizes about vacationing at the last property in his collection: “If I lived here, I would bike two or three hours every day, climb and kite or paddleboard, while my wife would choose to sit by the pool. I think Son Bunyola has everything”he sighs.

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The reality is that the self-described “adventurer” businessman knows that such a vacation is not possible at the moment, because after the opening of his Spanish resort, he will walk the banks of the Zambezi River in Africa, where four of Branson’s eight Virgin Limited Edition facilities. The brand brings together the most luxurious accommodations in one group, to which Son Bunyola has been added.

Necker Island is also part of this collection. Branson bought this private paradise – located in the British Virgin Islands – for himself. It is where he officially resides. The tax implications of that decision caused a storm in the British media a decade ago, a controversy that reignited last week.

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On June 29, Branson talked about space travel, but for now only astronauts are going up there. “I feel that, in 50 years, there will be trips to the moon… there will be a hotel there, maybe a Virgin hotel“, he says himself. He knows what it’s like to be away from Earth, though he doubts this was his most extreme adventure. “Tspace was a dream and it took 25 years to become a reality… ».