Brits have shared their annoyance with anti-tourism sentiment in Majorca as waiters are rude and locals demand that holidaymakers “go home.”
Protests against mass tourism have been on the rise in Spain for years now – but they have dialled up this year, particularly on the islands of Tenerife, Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca.
Locals are angry that their towns and cities are becoming overcrowded, while tourists also drive up the costs of property.
But Brits who travel to Spain are starting to feel like they are no longer welcome.
Nursery manager Zoe, 25, from Barnsley, said that she felt like a waiter “didn’t like English people” after he was rude to her during her trip to Majorca.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: “It was like he just couldn’t be bothered with us.
“He was rude and treated us like we were an inconvenience. It felt like he just didn’t like English tourists — but we had made him money.”
Zoe Kemp said the anti-tourism protests in the country are “completely hypocritical” given how important the tourism industry is, especially in the Balearic and Canary Islands.
She added: “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.”
Alícia Aguiló, spokeswoman for SOS Residents, an activist group co-ordinating rallies in Majorca, went as far as accusing “foreigners” of “colonising” the islands.
She said: “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.
“Our children have no chance of becoming independent, because rental prices are far above their means, even if they have an average salary.
“We are becoming poor workers without services. We can’t allow the greed of some to condemn our children to emigrate to have a decent life. The roads, beaches, bars, and hospitals are saturated.
“Waste management is disastrous. Mega-polluting cruise ships are an attack that affects the air quality in Palma.”
Sally Smith, 36, from Rochdale, told The Sun that she has noticed how locals in Majorca are growing more hostile to tourists.
She said: “I’ve noticed in a few bars their attitude is a bit stand-offish, angry. They slam things down on the table.”
Market trader Martina Salerno, 30, said that his rent has nearly tripled since 10 years ago because of the influx of foreign visitors.
Speaking to the Telegraph, wine bar owner Marc said the main city in Majorca, Palma, is on the “brink of collapse” because of the demand.
He said: “There are some days when Palma is on the brink of collapse.
“If it is a rainy day then tourists from across the island come into town for shopping. It’s crazy. I don’t leave my house. Then we have days when three big cruise ships arrive – that’s suddenly another 12,000 to 15,000 tourists arriving on the island.
“There are bike tours, e-bike tours, Segway tours, jeep tours…20 years ago it was not like this. There are even night-time tours of Palma, so you find 40 or 50 people beneath your balcony at 11pm. There’s no peace.”
