A massive anti-overtourism protest is set to rock Majorca today, at the height of the holidaymaking season.
A huge 111 groups are set to participate in the demonstration in Palma, according to the protest’s organisers.
The group behind the protest, called “Menys Turisme Més Vida” (Less Tourism, More Life) first announced the protest late last month on X, unveiling the slogan: “Let’s change direction, let’s place limits on tourism.”
The mass gathering will take place at 7pm local time (6pm BST) at Parc Estacions in central Palma.
The protest is an action “against mass tourism and a process of touristification that suffocates us, condemns us to impoverishment and the continued precariousness of our lives, and an irreversible degradation of the territory and the natural and cultural heritage of the islands”, the organisers said.
As reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, they added: “The demonstration is taking place in the middle of the tourist season and we want it to be a turning point and the start of continuous mobilisation on the streets, in neighbourhoods, towns and villages, workplaces, educational centres, the agricultural sector in the fight for housing.”
Stressing those taking part in this demonstration aren’t looking to change the type of tourists reaching the Balearic island but rather the model of tourism, they also said: “We long for a fair, egalitarian economic model that addresses the current ecological and social crisis.”
Majorca is one of the tourist hotspots in Spain adored by British tourists that has been engulfed by major protests against overtourism.
Since April, tens of thousands of residents in the Canary Islands, southern Spain, Barcelona and the Balearics have stepped out to protest the current tourism model which they say is having a hugely negative impact on their daily lives.
The rise of holiday rentals and hotel beds in particular is seen as responsible for the housing crisis being experienced in these areas, with mortgages and rents simply too expensive for locals to afford.
The huge number of tourism accommodations is also accused of pushing out residents of their city centres and changing the aspect of cities, with local shops being turned into services mainly catering for holidaymakers.
