Mallorca pushes back against mass tourism

DW (English)

Several million tourists flock to the Spanish island of Mallorca every year. But locals are now fighting back against the impact of overtourism. Can you still visit Mallorca with a clear conscience?

Transcript

00:00Last year, there were 12.5 million tourists on the Spanish island of Mallorca, more than

00:10ever before.

00:11And this year, the island is expected to be well-visited again.

00:15Well, lots of sun, beaches and party.

00:18But wait, apparently, times have changed here.

00:23Many Mallorcans are resisting the sell-off of their island, mass tourism and the consequences.

00:28In the spring and summer, tens of thousands of locals demonstrated in the capital, Palma

00:33de Mallorca.

00:34Where are the problems and how could they be solved?

00:38That's what I want to find out so that you know whether it's really still worth coming

00:42to Mallorca.

00:43This is one of the tourist hotspots on the island, the so-called Balaman, actually Balneario

00:49Seis, a part of a white beach in El Arenal, very close to the capital.

00:54Balaman has been considered a problem area for years.

00:57Too many tourists who don't just come here to swim, but also want to party.

01:03Pere Joan Feminia is one of the organizers of the demonstrations against mass tourism.

01:12For many years, not only this year, we've been demanding that the airport's capacity

01:17for arrivals and also the island's capacity to receive tourists should be regulated.

01:23Tourists usually sleep in beds, and if we limit the number of beds and the number of

01:27hotel beds and also Airbnb, we can regulate and control the number of tourists a little.

01:39Everything in El Arenal is geared towards mass processing.

01:44There is enough space for tourism, but hardly any affordable housing for locals.

01:50There are only a few historical buildings left, such as this church from the 19th century.

01:55At that time, it was mainly fishermen and stonecutters who lived here.

01:59The economic boom only came with tourism.

02:02Mallorca wants to get away from the cheap Balaman image.

02:07Since May 2024, drinking alcohol has been banned on the streets and on the beach in El Arenal.

02:14Bans are enforced, but apparently there is little control.

02:17I've already seen a lot of people drinking beer out here.

02:21In any case, the locals have had enough.

02:23A broad alliance from bird protectors to the local group of Fridays for Future repeatedly

02:29organizes protests like this one in the center of Palma in July 2024.

02:34They are loudly demanding tourism to be limited.

02:40How is that supposed to work when so much depends on tourism in Mallorca?

02:44I have an appointment with the head of Mallorca Tourism.

02:47He must have a plan.

02:51The situation we have now is that society is exhausted.

02:54Exhausted of what?

02:55Are you tired of not having access to housing?

02:58Is this just tourism's fault?

03:00Or is it the fault that we haven't done anything to improve the housing market, that we haven't

03:04built more apartments in the last ten years, that we haven't given legal certainty to everyone

03:08who wants to rent out their apartments, of which there are a lot, or that we haven't

03:12carried out mobility management to improve infrastructure in recent years?

03:16We don't need to create more, we need to simplify.

03:20Actually there should be enough space for responsible tourists.

03:24Mallorca is a fairly large island.

03:26But the masses have already reached even the most remote corners.

03:31I'm on my way to the southeast of the island, to Santany.

03:35There are supposed to be beautiful little beaches there.

03:38They're hidden, but not so secret anymore.

03:43My destination?

03:44The cove of Caló des Moros.

03:46The nearby parking lot fills up quickly.

03:48From here it is a 20-minute walk to the cove.

03:52Photos and videos on social media have attracted many people.

04:00Looks like paradise.

04:01And there's the dilemma.

04:03Everyone wants to go where it's beautiful, including me.

04:07The unsecured descent is not for the faint of heart.

04:10And the fact that Santany's mayor recently asked visitors to avoid the cove because of

04:16overcrowding apparently doesn't deter anyone.

04:23But it's also really beautiful, especially in the water.

04:26It has a pleasant temperature and is very clear.

04:32I was told that years ago this cove was rarely visited, even in high season.

04:38That has obviously changed completely.

04:46It's not that easy to find a solution.

04:48I think a healthy middle ground between mass tourism and a secluded paradise is needed.

04:54In other words, Mallorca needs balance.

04:57And be prepared that in high season there's a lot of people.

05:01But I think it's still worth a trip.

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