On a Spanish island the locals are fed up with tourists. The residents say they feel overwhelmedand everything is done under the dictation of the visitors.
The local community believes that mass tourism negatively affects their quality of life. They point to lower access to affordable housing or medical services, but also draw attention to the behavior of some travelers.
Mallorca. Local protests are gaining momentum. They are fed up with tourists
So far, the protests have been peaceful, but locals are increasingly looking for more eloquent solutions. On Sunday, as Euro News describes, residents of Majorca they moved from the island's capital to the beach Balneari 6, one of the most popular in the region.
About 100 people showed up on the beach, demanding tighter regulations on tourism. With posters and banners attacking tourists symbolically immersed themselves in the sea. The portal also recalls the actions from the previous year, when locals spread out on the beaches misleading signs in English, warning tourists to “stay away.”
– We came here to demand that residents be able to use the beaches that are currently used by tourists – said one of the demonstrators.
Is Mass Tourism a Problem? Authorities Respond
“In 2023, Mallorca was visited by a record number of 14 million foreign tourists. This year, there is no sign of the trend weakening. Over six million tourists visited the island before the summer season,” we read. This is an increase of eight percent compared to the previous year.
The protesters also got their first concrete result responses from the authorities. Euro News reports that the Balearic government has formed a partnership with representatives of the tourism sector and the community joint committeeto work on ways to reduce the impact of tourism on the lives of local people.
The changes will include, among others: strengthening control over the tourist accommodation processthe employment of 27 new inspectors and even fines of up to 80 thousand euros for violating individual regulations.