Hundreds of anti-tourism fanatics have blocked access to beaches in a popular Spanish resort in the latest protests.
Angry locals have taken to the picturesque beaches of Menorca to send a message to tourists using their bodies.
Angry locals wrote messages to tourists with towels and their bodies. Photo Credit: SolarpixActivists staged a surprise protest against mass tourism. Photo Credit: SolarpixTourists were denied access to beaches for six hours on Saturday. Photo Credit: SolarpixBritish tourists also expressed frustration with long queues at Mallorca airport. Photo Credit: Solarpix
Protesters boasted that a car park near the picturesque Cala Turqueta cove on the island’s southern coast was full of “residents’ cars”.
The students then used towels and their own bodies to write the words “SOS Menorca” in the sand by the water.
Local sources said a spontaneous protest by environmental non-profit group GOB Menorca resulted in a “ban” on tourists from entering the car park for around six hours from the early hours of Saturday morning.
Protesters reportedly packed passengers onto the first bus bound for Cala Turqueta in an attempt to “block the arrival of tourists.”
“This is not a protest against tourism, but against massification and the degradation it brings,” the Menorcan government said last night.
“250 people gathered at Cala Turqueta to demand a change of direction for Menorca.
“Residents filled the car park with their cars and wrote messages in the sand with towels and other items.
“The images captured convey the concerns of the people of Menorca about the growing size of their island.”
The spokesman argued that by taking these steps, the government was reaffirming the right to adequate housing, the protection of the island’s natural resources, a diversified economy and the return of young people from overseas.
But despite the anti-tourism protests, a growing number of Britons are flocking to the Spanish islands to escape the UK’s bad weather.
Anti-tourist protesters get angry and spray foreigners with water guns
But at Palma airport there is often only one police officer checking passports and they face long queues.
British tourists were furious after being forced to wait more than an hour in passport control queues that were reserved for non-EU travellers.
Video published by Spanish newspaper Diario de Mallorca showed more than 100 passengers waiting in a passport queue moving very slowly while other arrivals swiftly went through the checks.
The backlog is also growing due to “frequent breakdowns” of the computer verification system.
Police union SUP supported the British tourists’ complaints and argued more staff were needed at Palma airport to manage the large numbers of people travelling to and from Mallorca.
SUP told Diario de Mallorca newspaper that the current number of staff at its facilities at Son Sant Joan airport is not enough to handle the large number of passengers.
Another factor contributing to these long queues is the high concentration of flights departing for the UK within the same few hours.
More than 2.3 million British people visit Mallorca for holidays every year, meaning flights to and from the island are nearly full.
As the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, British nationals will need a passport to travel to Mallorca.
Tourist measures sweep hot spots
A wave of anti-tourist measures has been launched across Europe to curb mass tourist influxes into popular destinations.
Crowding has become a major problem in many sunshine destinations, as authorities search for solutions to keep tourists and locals happy.
Authorities have tried to mitigate the impact of holidaymakers by imposing extra taxes on tourists and banning the construction of new hotels.
Earlier this year Venice became the first city in the world to charge holidaymakers an entrance fee of 5 euros (4.30 pounds) for day-trippers to Italy’s historic centre.
This was followed by a move by one area of Barcelona to remove popular bus routes from Apple and Google Maps to prevent hordes of tourists from using them.
Meanwhile, the northern Spanish city of San Sebastián has limited the number of people on guided tours to a maximum of 25 to avoid crowding, noise, nuisance and overcrowding.
The city has already banned the construction of new hotels.
The Spanish government has allowed restaurants in Andalusia to charge customers extra for sitting in the shade.
Benidorm has introduced time restrictions, meaning swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am could cost you a whopping £1,000.
The Canary Islands are also considering introducing measures to limit tourist numbers and impose a daily tax on tourists.
Greece already imposes a tourist tax in high season (March to October), with visitors paying between 1 euro (£0.86) and 4 euros (£3.45) per night, depending on the accommodation booked.
Authorities in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela want to impose a fee on tourists as a way to encourage people to behave respectfully while traveling.
Just a week ago, protesters organised a huge demonstration in Mallorca, chanting: “If we clear the highways of snow, the hotels will empty and the world will understand that there are too many tourists.”
Another said: “Say goodbye to rental cars and bad business practices. Housing will be cheaper and more people will cycle.”
More than 20,000 protesters gathered in the capital, Parma, to complain about heavy drinking and revelers and rising rents.
The banners read: “Give us back our drunks, give us back our homes” and “Your paradise is our nightmare.”
After Spain beat England 2-1 in the quarter-finals, chants aimed at England also mocked their performance at the Euros.
The placard read: “Finals out. Get out of here.”
A few weeks ago, around 3,000 protesters took to the streets of the Spanish capital, Barcelona, attacking tourists with water guns.
Around 2,800 locals marched through the city’s waterfront with banners and signs bearing the inflammatory slogan “Enough is enough! Limit tourism!”
Two women, with stern expressions on their faces, were seen pointing water guns at tourists.
Unfortunately, some holidaymakers were sprayed as they tried to enjoy the evening, including while eating dinner outdoors at a restaurant.
Footage then showed tourists fleeing from the fountain.
One protester held up an ominous sign that read: “Dear Tourists: Balconies are fun!”, mocking holidaymakers who have fallen to their deaths from balconies.
The random attack on holidaymakers in the Catalan capital was apparently inspired by the work of anti-tourism group the Balearic Balconing Federation, which has documented a number of deaths from “balconing” near island resorts.
Large-scale anti-tourist protests have also erupted in neighbouring Ibiza and other Balearic islands.
The reasons for the protests across Europe are largely the same: overcrowding, housing, environmental protection, congestion and resource allocation.
Residents all feel they have been pushed out by mass tourism and are concerned about the protection of beaches and scenic areas.
But some warn that postponing visits by holidaymakers could be economic suicide for a western Mediterranean island that has relied on tourism for generations.
Tourism drives around 45% of Mallorca’s economy.
Protesters, made up of anonymous locals, were also seen handing out “we love you” sticker cards to holidaymakers.
“There’s no point biting the hand that feeds us,” a spokesman for We Love Tourism Mallorca said.
Anti-tourism fanatics reportedly also thronged buses heading to the beach. Photo credit: Solarpix Thousands of people took to the streets of Palma last Sunday to protest. “Give us back our drunks, give us back our homes,” read one sign at a protest last Sunday. In Barcelona, two women were seen aiming water pistols at tourists in an attempt to drench them.
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