Mallorca in chaos: protests against overcrowded tourism!

Mallorca in chaos: protests against overcrowded tourism!

Mallorca, Spanien - In recent years, mass tourism in the Balearic Islands, especially in Mallorca, has become an pressing problem. According to a spokesman for the Balearic Ministry of Tourism, the current advertising strategy has the opposite effect of the intended intended and contradicts the government's efforts to control tourism. This has led to a worrying situation in which popular places such as Calo des Moro are overrun by thousands of visitors every day. This small bay, which is intended for around 100 people, is now flooded by up to 4,000 people and 1,200 vehicles every day, as Mayor Maria Pons reports. She asked the media and tour operator not to report on the bay. In a drastic step, the local authority has removed all images of the bay from its website.

In addition, it can be seen that access to a popular viewpoint to Es Vedra, Ibiza, was closed due to crowds and garbage. The Balearic Islands expect a record number of 20 million visitors in 2024. A survey by the association, however, shows that 59% of the residents of Mallorca reject mass tourism. There have already been large demonstrations against this form of tourism, and further events have been announced for June. An open letter from seven Mallorcan organizations asks tourists to stay at home in order to save the overcrowded and uninhabitable island.

Social and economic effects

Tourism has an immense economic importance for the Balearic Islands, in Mallorca the industry even makes up for 45% of economic output. Nevertheless, this dependence also causes considerable problems. Rising prices, noise and the destruction of nature are just a few of the negative consequences that affect the quality of life of the locals. An estimated every fifth resident of the Balearic Islands is threatened by poverty. In addition, rents have increased by around 158% in the past ten years, which further tightens the housing shortage.

In May 2024, the regional government under President Margalida Prohens announced a political and social pact for economic, social and ecological sustainability. The aim of the pact is to make tourism more sustainable and to minimize its negative effects on the environment and society. Antoni Riera, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of the Balearic Islands, took over the chair of the technical committee, which launched twelve thematic working groups in order to treat various aspects of tourist overfilling.

Challenges for the sustainability pact

These working groups cover a variety of topics, including social sustainability, ecological sustainability, competitiveness of tourism and tourist services. Each group is coordinated by a general director of the regional government. The government considered the participation of all interest groups, including employment agencies, employers' associations and environmental organizations. Despite all efforts, however, there were setbacks; In November 2024, the “Forum for Citizens' Intervention” suspended its participation in the pact and questioned the methodology. The Environmental Organization Grup D’Ornitologia Balear (GoB) and the Palma residential association also withdrew, which is burdening the credibility of the committee.

Protests against mass tourism increased in 2024, with up to 20,000 participants in Palma. The demonstrators pointed out the rising rents, noise and pollution, while only a small elite benefits from tourism. As part of the sustainability package, citizens were able to submit proposals between July and October 2024, with 576 contributions. The majority of these proposals focused on environmental and traffic issues.

The working groups are currently in the analysis phase for the development of strategic guidelines and action plans for a sustainable future of the Balearic Islands. However, it remains unclear whether the government is able to address the concerns of the organizations that have left the pact and to implement concrete measures to deal with the challenges of mass tourism. Time is running, and the need for a sustainable solution for the Balearic Islands is becoming more and more urgent.