Release date: July 22, 2024 16:09
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People take part in a protest against mass tourism in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on Sunday. A banner reads “It’s time to stop” (Photo: Reuters)
PALMA DE MAJORCA, Spain: Thousands of anti-tourism activists protested in the Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca on Sunday, in the latest demonstrations against a key industry in the Iberian nation.
Protesters walked the streets of the Mallorcan capital carrying makeshift models of planes and cruise ships and posters reading “No to mass tourism” and “Stop private jets”.
Anti-tourism activists have staged a series of protests this year in popular holiday destinations including Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and the Canary Islands, arguing that tourists are making housing prices soaring and making it impossible for residents to live in city centres.
Around 10,000 protesters took part in Sunday’s demonstration in Mallorca, police said.
Some tourists supported the protests, but others expressed displeasure.
Pere Joan Femenia, from Menis Tourismo, Mas Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), which organised Sunday’s protests in Mallorca, told Reuters that protesters wanted fewer tourists to the island.
“Mass tourism is hard on locals who cannot afford to live on the islands as tourist apartments drive up prices. Tourists crowd the beaches and put a strain on public services in summer,” he said.
“We want to cut down on mass tourism and prohibit non-residents from buying homes that are only used a few months a year or are speculative.”
The Balearic Islands were Spain’s second most popular tourist region after Catalonia last year, attracting 14.4 million holidaymakers, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
Tourism generates 45 percent of the Balearic Islands’ gross domestic product, according to data from industry group Exceltur.
Spain received 16.1 million visitors in the first quarter of this year, up 18% from the same period last year.
Tourists in Spain spent 109 billion euros (4.3 trillion baht) last year, compared with 63.5 billion euros in France.
