Thousands demonstrate against mass tourism on Mallorca
SEVERAL thousand locals took to the streets in the Mallorcan capital of Palma on Sunday evening to protest against the millions of tourists that descend on the Spanish Mediterranean island every summer.
According to local observers, the turnout was slightly lower compared to the large demonstration held eight weeks ago, when organizers estimated around 25,000 participants.
During the protest organized by the organization “Less Tourism, More Life”, demonstrators held signs with messages like “Your luxury, our misery” and “We don’t want to be the pioneers of rising housing costs.” The poster advertising the protest representing the island’s almost 1 million residents showed airliners, private jets, cruise ships and luxury yachts all circling the island like a swarm of flies.
“Let’s change course” was written in Catalan above the photomontage, and in smaller print “Set limits to tourism.” The Balearic Islands have a resident population of almost 1.2 million. Last year, 18 million holidaymakers visited, 4.6 million from Germany and 3.4 million from the United Kingdom.
Just eight weeks ago, around 10,000 people took to the streets of Palma under the slogans “Enough is Enough!” and “Mallorca Is Not for Sale!” according to police reports. The organizers claimed there were 25,000 participants.
There have also been demonstrations against ever increasing mass tourism in other Spanish tourist hotspots such as Barcelona and Málaga, as well as on the Canary Islands.
While tourism is essential for Mallorca, with the industry accounting for 45 percent of the island’s economic output, many complain that only a minority benefits while the vast majority gets by on poorly paid jobs and suffers from housing shortages, traffic jams, noise and pollution.
Spanish media have reported on the conditions facing the locals. “I work in maintaining a luxury villa for English people and earn between 1,500 euros [$1,630] and 1,800 euros a month,” a resident of Ibiza told El Pais newspaper.
He moved out of his home in February unable to pay monthly rent for a room of around 1,000 euros. Since then, he has been sleeping in a caravan behind a Swedish furniture outlet and showering at a friend’s place.
Regional government head Marga Prohens told local media that she had understanding for the protests. “But I ask that these demonstrations do not turn into vandalism against holidaymakers and residents, the way they did in Barcelona,” she said.