Thousands of people have demonstrated in Spain’s Balearic Islands in protest against mass tourism ahead of the summer season.
On May 25, protesters carried posters reading “Residents, SOS,” “Enough with mass tourism,” and “Tourists go home” as they marched through Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the largest island in the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
A spokesman for Spain’s national police said about 10,000 people turned out, but organisers claim the number was 25,000. Demonstrators included families with children, students and retirees, as well as large numbers of members of trade unions, environmental groups and other civic organisations.
Smaller protests of several hundred people took place in Menorca, the second largest of the Balearic islands’ four main islands.
Demonstrators protesting against mass tourism in Mallorca take part in a performance depicting tourists and Mallorcans in traditional costume. Photo: AFP
“The authorities want to ban people who haven’t lived here for more than five years from buying property and to tighten regulations on holiday accommodation,” said Carme Reynes, whose group organised the protests in Palma de Mallorca.
Real estate agent Javier Carbonell said more than half the rentals are vacation rentals, unaffordable for locals. “We want to reduce mass tourism and increase sustainable tourism,” Carbonell said.
Tourists sunbathing on El Arenal Beach in Palma de Mallorca. Photo: Reuters
Tourism is vital to Mallorca — it generates 45 percent of the Balearic island’s gross domestic product, according to industry group Exceltur — but many say only a minority benefit from it, while the majority of those working in the industry struggle in low-paid jobs and face housing shortages, traffic congestion, noise and litter.
According to the Spanish National Statistics Institute, last year the Balearic Islands were Spain’s second most popular tourist region after Catalonia (which includes Barcelona), attracting 14.4 million international holidaymakers (18 million in total including domestic tourists).
About 18 million international tourists visited Catalonia, while 13.9 million visited the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Mallorca on May 25 against excessive tourism, one of the island’s main sources of income. Photo: AFP
On May 24, around 1,000 protesters took part in a demonstration against mass tourism in Ibiza, one of the most popular Balearic islands.
“We want new tourist restrictions and a further ban on illegal apartments. Fewer apartments on the market mean prices go up,” said Rafael Jimenez, spokesman for Pro Ibiza, which organised the protests.
In April, thousands of people protested in the Canary Islands, calling for a temporary ban on tourists to stem soaring housing costs for locals caused by a surge in short-term vacation rentals and hotel construction.
Protesters hold signs reading “Save Mallorca” and “Foreigners Get Out” during a protest in Palma de Mallorca on May 25. “Giri” is slang for “rude foreigners, mostly drunk, mostly British”. Photo: AFP
The rally in Mallorca was organised after a ceiling collapsed in a restaurant packed with mainly German tourists on May 23, killing four people.
