International Demo on Mallorca: "Less tourism, more life"

On Mallorca, the most popular vacation island among Germans, locals want to demonstrate again against the excesses of mass tourism.

The organization "Less tourism, more life" has called for the protest in the island's capital Palma. Demonstrations are also planned on other Balearic Islands. It is already the third demonstration of this kind on the island this year.

Eight weeks ago, around 10,000 people took to the streets in Palma under the slogans "Let's say basta!" and "Mallorca is not for sale!" according to the police. The organizers spoke of 25,000 participants. In other Spanish tourist cities such as Barcelona and Málaga, as well as on the Canary Islands, there is also growing discontent.

Don't saw at the branch you're sitting on

Tourism is vital for Mallorca's survival. The industry accounts for 45 percent of the island's economic output. And the tourism industry warns against sawing at the branch on which many are sitting.

But the protesters complain that only a minority benefits, while the vast majority get jobs with low salaries in the tourism industry, which are not enough to pay for increasingly expensive housing. In addition, traffic jams, noise and dirt are grating on the islanders' nerves.

Some people on the mainland are also fed up with the tourism boom

At the beginning of the month, several thousand demonstrators in the Mediterranean metropolis of Barcelona called for restrictions on the tourism industry in the face of ever-increasing housing and living costs. Guests at restaurants, which are particularly popular with holidaymakers, were sprayed with water pistols. "Tourists go home. You are not welcome" was written on posters carried in Barcelona. Or: "Reduce tourism now!".

In recent weeks and months, there have also been similar demonstrations in Málaga and on the Canary Islands. Many locals are not only annoyed by the cost of housing, but also by the environmental pollution, traffic jams, general overcrowding, water shortages and the overloading of the health sector and waste disposal due to the increasing number of visitors.

91 million foreign visitors expected this year

By the end of May, 33.2 million foreign tourists had already been counted in the country with a population of just under 48 million. It is estimated that by the end of the year there could be 91 million holidaymakers, who will pour around 125 billion euros into the Spanish coffers. The boom in tourism is also currently providing Spain with much better economic data than Germany, for example.

SDA