In Palma on Saturday there was a rally in support of protests being held in the Canary Islands against negative impacts of tourism.
The environmentalist group GOB expressed its solidarity with protests against "the excesses of tourism that both archipelagos suffer". "The Canary Islands have a limit and the Balearic Islands do too."
GOB insisted that the current tourism model "ignores islands' realities". "It wastes resources that we do not have and are difficult to obtain, such as water and electricity. It forces us to have disproportionate infrastructure in relation to the population who, however, are the ones who bear the cost. And it causes the impoverishment of citizens and the region itself." The Balearic Islands have gone from being 46th in the EU in terms of GDP per capita to 110th over the past two decades.
"The tourism model distorts and increases the price of housing, which has become inaccessible for most residents, devastates the territory, degrades ecosystems and the landscape, with loss of biodiversity, and causes the reduction of land for agricultural use."
The environmentalists went on to denounce the pollution from aviation, mega-cruise ships and rental vehicles as well as "an excessive amount of waste".
In GOB's opinion, the Balearics face "new threats from a Partido Popular government that has decided to further promote tourism growth and the destruction of the territory".
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High spending tourists do not want to part of the herd. They want quiet exclusivity or as close to it as possible. These mega cruise ships are Benidorm on the water, you wont find high spenders on them. The more the 5* Rural hotels are full and the 3* coastals are empty the better. Finally there appears to be a shift from more more more to quality quality quality. Long may it continue.
Actually these guys have a point. It’s about the ‘golden goose’ of tourism. No one wants an island so swamped by tourists that it’s hell. It’s a balance - residents, tourists, the environment. Mass tourism will kill the beauty of the island. No one will love it. Spending tourists won’t come. Benidorm… no thanks. Let’s strike a balance.
Turkeys voting for Christmas? No tourists no cash, no life. Unless these protesters are not careful the high spending tourists will go elsewhere and you will be left with the todo incluidos and fewer low paying jobs.