Furious Brits have hit back after residents in Majorca complained that they are being “colonised by foreigners” as a row centered around over-tourism rumbles on.
Stickers have been plastered on buildings in Majorca, reading: “More tourists? No thanks”, “Stop Tourism” and “Tourists go home — you are not welcome here.”
Alícia Aguiló, spokeswoman for SOS Residents, an activist group co-ordinating rallies in Majorca, told Majorca Daily Bulletin that anti-tourism sentiments are rampant across Spain.
“They started in the Canaries. Now I see that in Ibiza they are beginning to mobilise. This is just the beginning. We will continue until politicians are willing to make changes.
“Majorca is being colonised by foreigners and greedy developers have turned the islands into a theme park for tourists.”
Over the last few months, locals across Spain have staged anti-tourism protests.
In May, over 15,000 protesters came down on the streets of Palma, Majorca.
Similarly, in June, another protest organised by Majorca Platja Tour encouraged locals to take back their beaches by going swimming and to “enjoy them as before”.
More than 250 people thronged over a tourist hotspot in protest, with the group stating: “For one day Calo des Moro will belong to the Majorcans.”
However, anti-tourist protesters in Majorca have been warned that they “should be careful what they wish for” as demonstrations could be a “disaster” for their economy, according to industry experts.
Around 44 percent of people will now think twice before booking a holiday to the island, a new poll by Majorca Daily Bulletin revealed.
One British holidaymaker has dismissed the demonstrations on the island, which receives about 40 percent of its income from tourism, as “completely hypocritical”.
Zoe Kemp told The Sun: “They rely on tourists to survive. If you look around, everything is based on tourists.
“Places like Magaluf are advertised as cheap drinking holidays. We help the economy.”
However, residents throughout Spain are expressing concerns about being priced out of their neighbourhoods by higher-earning expats, calling for an end to “touristification.”
In Malaga, holidaymakers have been urged to “go home,” and a demonstration is scheduled for June 29 in the Costa Del Sol.
Following the Covid pandemic, many remote workers have relocated to Spain for its affordable and sunny lifestyle. Combined with expats often earning more than locals, this has left many residents feeling displaced.
Britain is the second biggest contributor to tourism in Majorca after Germany, and the latest government figures revealed that tourist spending in the country has increased by more than 22 percent compared with 2023.
