The citizens of the Balearic Islands are unhappy and are taking to the barricades. The reason: mass tourism is annoying. The government is now trying to impose “bold measures”.
“We understand the concerns of society,” Deputy Prime Minister Antoni Costa told reporters in Palma. You have to “set limits” – the growth model is “unsustainable”. That’s why appropriate measures will be taken within “a few months”.
After the protest, the hoteliers association FEHM also expressed understanding for the protesters’ demands. The focus is “more on quality than quantity”, according to the organization’s vice-president, María José Aguiló. However, she criticized the aggressive behavior of individual rally participants who sprayed water on tourists. She also denounced graffiti on hotels and other tourist facilities.
“Your luxury, our misery”
Police estimated the number of participants in the demonstration on Sunday night at 20,000. The organizers spoke of 50,000, but observers on the ground called this too high. People held up placards with slogans such as “Your luxury, our misery” or “We do not want to be at the forefront of rising housing costs.” One placard criticized low-cost airlines. According to media reports, some tourists in Palma even applauded. Others, however, said the gathering was rather unpleasant.
A group called ‘Less tourism, more life’ called for the demonstration. Eight weeks ago, up to 25,000 people demonstrated in Palma under the motto “Let’s say Basta is not for sale!” Discontent is also prevalent in other Spanish tourist cities such as Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
For every local there are 15 holidaymakers
Nearly 1.2 million inhabitants live in the Balearic Islands, of which the main island is Mallorca. Last year they were visited by 18 million holidaymakers, including 4.6 million from Germany and 3.4 million from Great Britain. So for every local population there were about 15 holidaymakers.
Tourism is vital to Mallorca. The industry accounts for 45 percent of the island’s economic output. But protesters complain that only a minority benefits from it, while the vast majority in the sector receive low salaries that are insufficient to pay for increasingly expensive housing. In addition, traffic jams, noise and dirt are getting on the islanders’ nerves.
Source: Krone
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