Spain Measures announced against mass tourism in Mallorca

Following the latest protest against mass tourism on Mallorca, the regional government of the Balearic Islands is promising the dissatisfied citizens "bold measures". These will be taken in "a few months", deputy head of government Antoni Costa told journalists in Palma. "We understand the concerns of society", explained Costa. We have to "set limits" because the growth model is "unsustainable".

Following the protest, the hoteliers' association FEHM also expressed understanding for the demonstrators' demands. The organization's vice president, María José Aguiló, said that "quality is more important than quantity". However, she criticized the aggressive behaviour of individual demonstrators who had splashed tourists with water. She also denounced graffiti on hotels and other tourist facilities.

The police estimated the number of participants in Sunday evening's rally at 20,000, while the organizers put the figure at 50,000, which observers on the ground described as too high. People held placards with inscriptions such as "Your luxury, our misery" and "We don't want to lead the way in rising housing costs". One sign criticized low-cost airlines. According to media reports, some tourists in Palma even applauded. Others found the demonstration rather unpleasant, according to reports.

It is not the first demonstration of its kind in Spain

The rally was called by a group called "Less tourism, more life". Eight weeks ago, up to 25,000 people demonstrated in Palma under the slogans "Let's say basta!" and "Mallorca is not for sale!". There is also resentment in other Spanish tourist cities such as Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

Almost 1.2 million locals live on the Balearic Islands, of which Mallorca is the main island. Last year, they were visited by 18 million holidaymakers, 4.6 million of whom came from Germany and 3.4 million from the UK. This means that there were around 15 holidaymakers for every local.

Not everyone benefits from tourism income

Tourism is vital for Mallorca's survival. The industry accounts for 45 percent of the island's economic output. But protesters complain that only a minority benefit, while the vast majority in the sector receive low salaries that are not enough to pay for increasingly expensive housing. In addition, traffic jams, noise and dirt are grating on the islanders' nerves.

SDA