The protests against mass tourism have only just begun.

The protests against mass tourism have only just begun. | Pere Bota

Humphrey CarterPalma06/06/2024 11:28
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The British travel association Abta has told the UK travel industry to take the protests against overcrowding and mass tourism in Mallorca “seriously”. Abta has told Travel Weekly that it was in touch with local authorities. A spokesperson noted: “The protests were not against tourism to the islands or targeted at tourists. Protesters were raising concerns about how tourism is managed.” Travel industry expert Ben Lynam called for the protests to be taken seriously.

“Majorca is at the sharp end of an issue that affects all our industry,” he said, adding: “Destinations have limits and tourism is only welcome when it respects these and the communities. Businesses will increasingly need to accept limits as not just necessary but desirable.” And recent surveys have revealed that the protests are making Britons think twice about booking a holiday to Mallorca this year while according to another conducted by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, 62 percent of readers think too many tourists coming to Mallorca.

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The Balearic and Spanish authorities are trying to put a brave face on the issue but according to airport transfer experts Hoppa, Mallorca searches are down by 15 per cent year on year while destinations such as Turkey and Greece have seen searches up by 45 per cent and 35 per cent. And the organisers of the recent protests n have warned that they will continue to take to the streets until the Balearic government takes action and adopts measures against the housing emergency and tourist overcrowding.

“This has only just begun”, said Javier Barbero, one of the organisers of the 10,000-strong demonstration in Palma a few weeks ago. He is confident that the demonstration has helped the government to take “immediate measures” to stop the property collapse, and one of the measures he mentions as a matter of urgency is that the Balearics should be declared a housing hot spot and that the state law should be applied.

“If the reality is denied and still no measures are taken, we will take to the streets until they act,” he said. “We wanted to denounce the housing situation, but we also believe that we have to rethink the tourism model with respect,” he said. “We are not saying ‘no’ to tourism,” Barbero said. Tourism generates 45% of the islands’ gross domestic product, according to data from Exceltur, an industry organisation.