Spanish island set to make major change to beaches in 2026 in huge blow to Brits
In a desperate effort to tackle over-tourism and fight against rising sea levels, one Spanish island is planning to remove a whopping 1,700 of its sun loungers from popular beaches
Sun-worshipping Brits heading over to one EU hotspot could soon be impacted by a major beach shakeup. Last year, a whopping 15.3 million international tourists flocked to the Balearics, a cluster of Spanish-owned islands renowned for their golden sands and crystal clear waters.
The influx marks a 6.15 per cent spike compared to 2023, despite growing calls to curb over-tourism from fed-up locals. Many Brits opted to holiday in Majorca (also known as Mallorca) which is the largest of the Balearic Islands.
Here, you'll find the party-mad resort of Magaluf, the beautifully idyllic town of Alcúdia, and the sleepy inland hotspot of Seineu. Palma, the island's capital, is also extremely popular with Brits - perfectly balancing rich history, gothic architecture, and picturesque beaches.
However, the city is believed to be clamping down on over-tourism by removing a staggering 1,700 of its sun loungers from beaches - to make more room for protesting locals. According to local media, Palma's council has green-lighted plans to reduce sun beds on the city's beaches by 20 per cent by 2026.
"There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas - and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space," a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution."
The move isn't just to snub pasty Brits desperate for a tan, but has also been attributed to rising sea levels which are slowly taking away space on the beach. The Local Es, a Spanish news site, claims this will impact several popular stretches of coastline, and will see Platja de Palma go from 6,000 sunbeds down to 4,436.
The publication states Cala Major will go from 300 to 250 sunbeds, while Cala Estància will also have 18 fewer sun beds by next year. Can Pare Antoni, a popular urban beach located just east of the city centre, is also thought to be cutting down on its sun bed offerings.
While the announcement won't go down well with UK holidaymakers, it may help appease frustrated residents who argue that over-tourism is pricing them out of the property market and destroying the environment. This has slowly cumulated in a series of confrontational protests where banner-waving activists have demanded Brits 'go home' for good, while anti-tourist graffiti has been smeared across the island and mainland.
More recently, demonstrators have flocked to the streets en masse - armed with water pistols - to get their message across. As previously reported, this could be one of the reasons behind a surge in summer holiday bookings to rival destinations such as Egypt.
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