MADRID – Dozens of protesters occupied a beach on the island of Mallorca on Saturday in the latest demonstration to protest against overtourism that they say is driving up rents for residents and straining public services.
Protesters gathered in the resort town of Colonia de Sant Jordi, east of the island’s capital, Palma de Mallorca.
Campaign group Mallorca Beach Tours called on residents to take back their beaches from tourists, using the hashtag “Ocupem Les Nostres Platges”, which means ‘Occupy our beaches’ in Catalan.
“We want all the people living near the beach to go swimming, repair the beach and enjoy it like they used to. The beach is for everyone!”
Tourists were not forced to leave the beach and the demonstration was largely symbolic, but the group promised further protests across the island on June 16.
Activists in the Balearic Islands say mass tourism is driving up rents for locals who can no longer afford to live in the Spanish archipelago, which for decades has been a popular holiday destination for Brits.
Activists say the huge numbers of tourists visiting the islands are depleting natural resources, causing traffic congestion and undermining the quality of life for local residents.
“For locals, it’s impossible to rent somewhere on a monthly income of around 800-1,000 euros and they have to compete with much higher rents for tourists,” Malena Izzan from campaign group SOS Residents told i. “And they’re overwhelmed by the number of tourists who make it impossible to live a normal life.”
Police said Saturday’s protest on the beach followed around 10,000 people marching in the streets of Palma last weekend.
Protesters filled the city’s streets carrying signs reading in English and Catalan: “Enough with mass tourism,” “Mallorca is not for sale” and “Foreigners leave.”
“Tourists go home” is graffitied on road signs in the Tramuntana mountains.
But critics of the protests point out that the islands are dependent on tourism.
According to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), 17.8 million tourists are expected to visit the Balearic Islands in 2023, of which 3.7 million are British. Britons are the second largest group by nationality after Germans, whose 4.8 million visited the islands last year.
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According to the INE, tourism accounts for 45% of the Balearic Islands’ GDP.
Meanwhile in Madrid, another protest against over-tourism is planned for Saturday evening, following a campaign against Airbnb rentals.
Activists have plastered tourist apartments in the center of Lavapies with stickers reading “Fuck Airbnb.”
“After the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, it’s Madrid’s turn. Sparks will fly this Saturday in Lavapies,” organiser Madrid Renters Union said in a video message on social media.
“We know tourism is eating away at our neighborhoods like termites. We know our city council is condoning a massive tourist apartment fraud every day. We know the only ones who can save our town are ourselves,” the group posted.
