Residents of a Spanish town demonstrate against excesses of tourism

Residents of the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca demonstrated this Sunday, July 21, in the streets of Palma, to denounce the excesses of tourism on the island, police said.

Protesters believe that the current model places public services on the verge of collapse, degrades natural resources and makes access to housing increasingly difficult for residents.

“Your luxury, our misery”

The representative of the central government in the Balearic Islands, quoted in local media, initially estimated the number of demonstrators at around 12,000 people, with organizers giving a much higher figure of around 50,000 demonstrators.

“Your luxury, our misery”, criticized a sign in English while another targeted, also in English, foreigners who had come to work remotely: “Digital nomads, go home!”. Another sign summed up the equation: “It’s not tourismphobia, it’s numbers: 1,232,014 residents, 18 million tourists.”

A record 17.8 million visitors traveled to one of the three Balearic islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) in 2023, from Spain or abroad, and this is expected to rise further this year.