Tens of thousands of people in Mallorca protested against excessive tourism
Around 20,000 people took to the streets of Palma de Mallorca on July 28th to denounce the overtourism on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca and to call for a change in direction, according to AFP.
"SOS Locals: Stop Tourism"—a protest against the excesses of tourism on the Spanish island of Mallorca and a call for a change of direction—drew 20,000 people to the streets of Palma on July 28th, according to the police.
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United behind a banner that read "Let’s Change Course and Set Limits on Tourism", a sea of demonstrators armed with signs flooded the small tourist town, responding to a call from approximately 80 organizations and groups.
Difficult access to housing for locals
The protesters believe the current model is pushing public services to the brink of collapse, degrading natural resources, and making it increasingly difficult for locals to access housing.
The central government’s representative for the Balearic Islands, cited by local media, initially estimated the number of protesters at around 12,000, while organizers suggested a much higher figure of approximately 50,000.
"Your Luxury, Our Suffering", criticized one sign in English, while another, also in English, targeted foreigners who have come to work remotely: "Digital Nomads, Go Home!". Another sign summed up the situation: "This is not tourism phobia, these are numbers: 1,232,014 residents, 18 million tourists".
In 2023, a record number of 17.8 million visitors traveled to one of the three Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) from Spain or abroad, and this number is expected to increase this year.
Tourism "must be regulated"
"On a practical level, tourism is a legitimate activity. But, like all economic activities, it needs to be regulated, just like hotels", said architect and urban planner Jose Maria Ezquiaga on public television channel TVE, advocating for the regulation of vacation rental properties, so that their rental is subject to approval by local resident associations.
"Local property owners should set the rules and decide whether to accept certain formats", he said.
Another tourism expert, Manuel de la Calle, suggested the creation of a tax: "This is one of the possible solutions that could be implemented. It will not reduce tourist flows, but it will generate revenue that can be injected into managing tourism or into other ways of helping the local population".
