Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

“The ills of the tourist industry can be firmly placed at the door of successive Spanish governments who have encouraged mass tourism...”

The Saint George opening ceremony at Calvia Town Hall on Tuesday. | Joan Llado

Jason MoorePalmanova25/04/2024 16:29

I am sick to death of reading on social media that Mallorca no longer wants British tourists. Some have even said that they no longer feel welcome on the island.

On Sunday my sister, who lives in England, asked me if Mallorca had been caught up in the anti-tourism protests in the Canary Islands. This is one of the reasons why the festivities to mark Saint George are taking place in Palmanova this week; to make English tourists feel welcome and to thank them for all their support over the years.

A clear message; thank you for letting us take care of your cherish summer holidays. I hope the message has been received loud and clear. Not only is Calvia council thanking English tourists they are also organising a week-long celebration.

Like everyone else I was rather shocked by what is happening in the Canary Islands, it doesn’t give Spain a good image. Now, I can understand some of their points and claims which the protesters are making. Yes, they are suffering because of high rents and overcrowding but that isn’t really the fault of the tourists. That is the fault of politicians who have encouraged mass tourism and failed to provide a housing plan that caters for low-income workers.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you - this is my advice to those in the Canary Islands who have been busy protesting. Tourists want to feel at home and welcomed and full marks to Calvia for pushing this point home. A tourist, a friend.

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Zoltan Teglas | 10 days ago

'Yes, they are suffering because of high rents and overcrowding but that isn’t really the fault of the tourists. That is the fault of politicians who have encouraged mass tourism and failed to provide a housing plan that caters for low-income workers.' The demo was aimed at the local politicians and was not anti-tourists. They made that clear in their manifesto.

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Morgan Williams | 10 days ago

I would argue that the imaginary "anti-British" sentiment is caused primarily by English tabloid media. Presumably in the quest for clickbait... Having said that, despite what the English tabloids continuously imply, Brits aren't the only tourists, and frankly, represent only a fraction of the whole tourism makeup, so the sentiment is more like, "Well, if Brits want to continue telling themselves this imaginary anti-British nonsense and ultimately go elsewhere, then OK, nobody's stopping them". Because... not only is it not going to happen, it wouldn't have a lot of impact if it did. It's not "anti-British". It's just indifference. Nobody is singling out Brits. It's just that Brits aren't the only tourists, and only account for a fraction of tourism here. Regardless of what the tabloids say. Yet Brits do seem to be the only ones playing that card. Nobody else cares.

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