Balearic tears stop influencer: an uprising against mass tourism!

Balearic tears stop influencer: an uprising against mass tourism!

Caló des Moro, 07691 Santanyí, Spanien - The Balearic Islands Mallorca and Ibiza have decided to end the use of social media influencers to apply for travel destinations. This decision is a direct reaction to the growing environmental and overload problems caused by the so-called "selfie tourism". According to Nau , the goal of this measure is to reduce the pressure on well-known tourist locations, in which less frequented places are to be advertised instead. But instead of minimizing the mass flows, the quantities of tourists have expanded to remote and ecologically sensitive areas such as the Bay Caló des Moro. This bay, which was originally intended for around 100 people, was overrun daily by up to 4,000 visitors.

activists and local authorities are vehemently reacting to the situation. The Mayor of Caló the Moro urged journalists and tour operators not to mention the Bay. Since the overcrowding has become intolerable, the local authorities also removed pictures of this bay from their website. Access to popular viewpoints, such as Vedrà in Ibiza, was also closed due to garbage problems and overcrowding. overton reports on continuing protests in Spain against the negative consequences of mass tourism, especially due to increasing housing costs and the gruesome conditions under which residents in vacation areas suffer.

protests against mass tourism

In the past few weeks, the protests against mass tourism in Spain have become more intensive. On a weekend, tens of thousands of people on the Canary Islands demonstrated under slogans such as "Mass tourism makes us homeless" and "The Canary Islands are not available". These protests are a reaction to the inevitable consequences, such as high rents for accommodation that can be over 1,000 euros for a room, as well as the increase in garbage, lack of water, traffic chaos and noise that significantly affect everyday life of the original residents.

A particularly creative protest took place in Caló des Moro, where 300 residents occupied the bay to draw attention to the massive problems. However, this campaign was dissolved by the paramilitary Guardia Civil as not approved. The organizers criticized the interruption of their peaceful assembly and the restriction of their fundamental rights, while lawyer Toni Bennàssar emphasized that approval for such meetings was not necessary, only a notification.

The symptoms about mass tourism are not limited to the Balearic Islands. Similar protests can also be observed in many other cities of Spain, such as Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Seville. In the coming period, further large demonstrations against these practices for July 21 and September 27 are already planned.

summarized, the developments in the Balearic Islands and the protests throughout Spain clearly show that mass tourism not only is an economic challenge, but also seriously endangered social and ecological issues. Citizens urgently demand measures against rents and pollution, while tourism continues to explode. In 2023 Spain recorded a record year with 347.1 million hotel accommodation, which underlines the urgency of the topic.