Balearic Islands brace for record tourism while locals protest
6:02 PM EDT, July 21, 2024
According to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain, 14.4 million foreign tourists visited the Balearic Islands last year. This year, even more are expected, possibly reaching 20 million. The Spanish islands are "going for a record," and residents are protesting.
The number of foreign visitors to the Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Mallorca, and Menorca) increases yearly. In 2023, there was a 9.1 percent increase compared to 2022. Tourists spent 16.4 percent more money there.
The Spanish National Institute of Statistics already reported that last year, Spain was visited by 85.1 million foreign tourists, the most ever. Of these, 14.4 million people came to the archipelago alone, mainly to Mallorca.
The BBC portal writes that everything indicates that this record will be broken this year. On the Balearic Islands, this counter may reach 20 million.
Good or bad tourist? Spain's summer siege
In recent years, the debate has intensified in Spain about whether millions of tourists bring more problems than benefits.
As the BBC notes, anger among many residents has reached a new level this year. This could be seen, among other things, in the protest organized in Barcelona at the beginning of July.
More than 20,000 people took to the streets to protest mass tourism. The demonstration was organized by more than 100 civic organizations.
They've had enough of tourists. Mallorca also says "no"
Increasingly, activists draw attention to the costs of mass tourism that the residents of Mallorca have to bear.
Foreigners buy houses and apartments here or rent them for most of the summer, disrupting the market and driving up prices. We, normal people who live and work here, cannot afford to rent, says 25-year-old Pere from a movement called "Menys Turisme, Més Vida," which translates to "Less Tourism, More Life." This weekend, activists and residents again took to the streets to protest against mass tourism.
Other social activists argue that it is a myth that Mallorca needs constantly growing tourism to survive.
Many residents are preparing to leave permanently because they can no longer afford to stay, they say.
Mass tourism is not only a Spanish problem. Many European countries are grappling with it. Some have already started to introduce restrictions. In Venice, day-trippers are forced to pay a special tax. Similar solutions have also appeared in some Swiss villages, which are trampled by tens of thousands of people because of their beauty.
