“The centre has become an amusement park for tourists. They are driving out the lifelong residents of the centre,” says Jaime Herrero, president of the Sa Llotja Neighbourhood Association.
Inés Jiménez has sold her flat in Palma’s Plaza Mayor because of this problem. She bought it with her husband in 1988, when “this area was the border with the marginal neighbourhood that was then the whole of Sindicato street”.
In the following years it was rehabilitated, with the improvement of infrastructures such as the car park and the underground galleries (now closed and abandoned since 2019). Despite being in the centre, “there was neighbourhood life, with its traditional shops, such as haberdasheries, ice-cream parlours and cafés”, he recalls. However, with the increasing arrival of visitors, all that changed a few years ago.
“Now it’s all souvenirs and shops for tourists,“ he criticises. First it was the accordion players and the shows for tourists: “They started playing at nine in the morning and didn’t stop until eleven at night. Without a break.
“It’s very uncomfortable that in your own house you have to have all the windows closed in the middle of summer because of the noise they make in the square”, she complains.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the degradation of the car park and the saturation of the roads in the centre, making it almost impossible to get home by car or to take the shopping upstairs.
Finally, after nearly twenty years of unsuccessful neighbourhood struggles, she sold her flat and moved to a suburb to regain her lost quality of life. She was not the only one. Several of Inés’ neighbours have opted in recent years to leave the square, fed up with the obstacles and problems.
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If it wouldn’t be for tourist this apartment would be worth pennies (and the rest of the municipal services would be at 3rd world standards)…. Too many toursist - SOS residents, no tourists due to lockdown - SOS tourism. None will start opening data centers, nor factories in Mallorca so it’s either this or GDP per capita lower by 30-40% (that would be below Andalucia).
This is true. But why did the majority of the residents in the centre vote for political parties that don't think there is a problem with tourist saturation and want to build more hotels!
Palma's new council must recognise that Palma's increasing loss of residents is a slippery slope to the city becoming one big shopping mall bereft of character and charm. Local residents add value to the city. Tourists do not. The bars and restaurants causing late night noise nuisance must be told to cease or be fined, or more. Allow residents to send evidence such as photos and videos of offending establishments. Then have these followed-up by officers visiting the premises and issuing warnings. Parts of London went down the same path. Residents were driven out and the city given over to kebab outlets, clubs and the like. Big mistake. The city lost its heart and soul and thieves and criminals moved in. So the new Mayor reversed the policy and welcomed residents to return. Noise nuisance was not tolerated, late openings were policed and the streets were populated again by local people who created communities. So Palma has been warned. And It's not too late to take avoiding action. Residents and commercials can live together in harmony but the authorities need to support home owners not drive them away.
One obvious comment springs to mind. ... Careful what you wish for...