Islanders rebel

Mallorca now declares war on mass tourism

Angry citizens in Mallorca

(Bild: APA/AFP/JAIME REINA)

The citizens of the Balearic Islands are dissatisfied and are taking to the barricades. The reason: mass tourism is annoying. The government is now trying to implement "bold measures".

"We understand the concerns of society," said Deputy Prime Minister Antoni Costa to journalists in Palma. We have to "set limits" - the growth model is "unsustainable". Appropriate steps will therefore be taken in "a few months".

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.

(Bild: APA/AFP/JAIME REINA)

 "Your luxury, our misery" 
The police estimated the number of participants at the rally on Sunday evening at 20,000. The organizers spoke of 50,000, which observers on the ground described as too high. People held placards with slogans such as "Your luxury, our misery" and "We don't want to lead the way in rising housing costs". One sign took cheap airlines to task. According to media reports, some tourists in Palma even applauded. Others, however, found the rally rather unpleasant.

The rally was called by a group called "Less tourism, more life". Eight weeks ago, up to 25,000 people had already 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.

There are 15 holidaymakers for every local
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.

Tourism is vital to 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 nerves of the islanders.