Title: Majorca Protesters Declare War on Tourists: Will Tourism Survive?
Subheading 1: Tourism-Phobia Rises in Majorca
IT’S a great feeling booking a summer holiday and then counting down the days until you can relax by the sea, eat foreign delicacies and mingle with the locals. But now thousands of protesters on the Balearic island of Majorca have made it very clear they no longer even want me — or you — there because tourism-phobia has taken over and they want us all out.
Subheading 2: Locals Calling for Tourists to Leave
There is “tourists go home” graffiti daubed on walls and foreigners have been sneered at during huge protests. Locals have even threatened to block the island’s airports and protest outside hotels to drive us out. The activists are even calling for protesters to “occupy” the island’s beaches to squeeze out the tourists. They are furious that so many “bad tourists” flock to their island and take over, partying all night and buying up homes they can no longer afford. Their message has been crystal clear.
Subheading 3: Economic Impact of Tourism Protests
The result? Many tourists have retreated and gone elsewhere. Rows of sunbeds that vendors can usually rent out for up to £60 a day during high season sit empty on the beaches. Bars and restaurants normally flooded with Brits during half term are deserted and the once-bustling resorts are like ghost towns. Perhaps some of those moaning Majorcans should have been careful what they wished for, because their stroppy Spanish outburst is about to hit them where it hurts. Tourism was last year estimated to be worth 164 billion euros to Spain’s GDP, and in Majorca, it is the main contributor to their economy.
Subheading 4: Riotous Tourist Behavior and Economic Repercussions
Nearly 12 million tourists visited the island in 2023, and the latest figures from the Balearic Institute of Statistics put average spending per stay by foreign visitors at 1,128 euros. Without that cash flooding in from abroad, their island economy could go back to relying on farming and basket weaving. It’s not only the Majorcans who are protesting. Since the Sixties, when Spanish holiday packages really took off, many residents have been able to create booming businesses and laugh all the way to the bank. Obviously, it has come with a downside and I sympathize with them. Islanders have seen some of their towns turn into notorious all-night partying destinations, with excessive drinking and stag and hen dos taking over.
Subheading 5: Spanish Authorities Tackle Tourism Issues
This week alone, eight British tourists ended up in court following an alleged drunken stag do clash with waiters. None of us would want to live among that. And it is not only the Majorcans who are protesting. Those on the island of Ibiza and in the Canary Islands are too. Now the government is trying to clamp down more severely on boozing in some of the notorious party zones such as Magaluf and Palma in Majorca, along with San Antonio in Ibiza. But as far as I’m concerned, it is too little, too late. If protesting locals in Majorca want to treat us all like unruly tourists, they will be cutting off their nose to spite their face.
Subheading 6: Personal Reflections and Concluding Thoughts
Spending hard-earned cash on a holiday is one of my biggest treats of the year, and I don’t want it ruined by protests about issues that are the responsibility of the Spanish authorities, not the tourists. This gringo has said “hola” to Majorca for the last time. And I bet I’m not the only one.