Residents of the Spanish island of Palma de Mallorca on Sunday took out a new protest against mass tourism, Spanish media reported.
Protesters carrying improvised models of aeroplanes and cruise liners marched through the streets of Mallorca’s capital with placards saying “no to mass tourism” and “stop private planes.”
The activists have already held several actions this year in Barcelona and other popular holiday destinations such as Malaga and the Canary Islands. They claim that newcomers are driving up housing costs and making it almost impossible for locals to live in city centres.
Some 10,000 protesters took part in a demonstration in Mallorca on July 21, police said. Pere Joan Femenia, a spokesman for Menys Turisme, Mas Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), which organised the July 21 Mallorca protest, told Reuters that protesters wanted fewer tourists on the island. He said:
Mass tourism is making it difficult for local people who cannot afford to live on their own island because tourist flats push up prices. Tourists fill up beaches and put a strain on public services in the summer. We want to cut mass tourism and to ban non-residents from buying houses which are just used for a few months a year or for speculation.
The mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni announced his intention to phase out short-term rentals in the city until 2028. The Spanish Constitutional Court is considering the legality of such a step. In addition, the Spanish government has announced tough steps in the sector of short-term and seasonal rentals amid the discontent of residents who feel they are being forced out of the housing market.
According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics, the Balearic Islands were Spain’s second most popular region for tourists last year, attracting 14.4 million holidaymakers.
According to industry organisation Exceltur, tourism contributes 45 per cent of the Balearic Islands’ gross domestic product. In the first quarter of 2024, 16.1 million people visited Spain, 18 per cent more than in the same period last year. In 2023, tourists spent 109 billion euros (S$157 billion) in Spain, compared with 63.5 billion euros in France.
