Tourists under the spotlight

At present the focus is very much on “the tourist” and the effect he or she is having on the Balearics. It is the difference between the residential population and the “floating” population determines the overall usage of facilities and services in a community which, because of its insular nature, is subject to energy and environmental limits. Statistics released by the Balearic Institute of Economy with respect to the Balearic population in l999, show a monthly estimation of an average 1'169'765 persons in the Islands, of whom 820'378 are residents, 25'000 are workers from the mainland and another 20'000 are immigrant labourers. The remainder, 304'387, is the floating population. It is precisely the impact of this floating population, together with the working element, which affects the rise in the consumption of water and in the creation of more solid waste. On the subject of water consumption, the Majorcan Union Party (Unió Mallorquina) has presented a study which shows that tourists consume daily 116 more litres of water than Majorcan residents. According to this study, the average consumption of tourists is 310 litres compared with the 194 litres which residents use.