Spanish island's brutal vow after overcrowding chaos at popular tourist hotspots
The Spanish government has suddenly u-turned on a pro-tourism policy following major backlash. Local authorities in the Balearics (which include the postcard-worthy islands of Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza) had recently revealed plans to alleviate the strain on popular hotspots by making use of selfie-addicted influencers.
The rather unusual strategy pushed those with a huge social media following to start plugging attractions in the Balearics that have failed to enter the tourist limelight. However, it seems the power these Instagram and TikTok pros have should not be undermined, as the plan worked. In fact, it worked too well...
Take Caló des Moro, for example, an incredible bay tucked away in the southeast corner of Majorca. This idyllic slice of paradise feels worlds away from the bustling streets of Magaluf - boasting 40 metres of sugar-like sand, turquoise waters, and rugged cliffs. For years, it remained a true hidden gem, with travellers often being able to enjoy the spot to themselves if they were willing to get there early.
The cove can accommodate around 100 people, before it would start to feel like you're being sardined next to a stranger on the beach. But, after a slew of influencers started raving about the destination - an insufferable amount of tourists were flocking their en masse.
The Guardian reports that last June, María Pons, the local mayor, held a press conference saying that a whopping 4,000 people and 1,200 vehicles were visiting Caló des Moro every single day. She reportedly begged travel tour operators to not mention the cove again, or offer Brits excursions to the hotspot.
"It's had the completely opposite effect to what was intended and runs contrary to government policy on containing tourism," a government spokesperson added. Local authorities have since scrubbed all images of Caló des Moro from their official website, hoping the hype will eventually die down.
The influencer-driven boom won't have been well received by fed-up locals, who blame tourists for the country's worsening housing crisis. In fact, just last weekend - thousands of frustrated residents flocked to the streets to call for major reform, armed with banners ordering Brits to 'go home'.
As anti-tourist sentiment gets louder and louder - Spain's crackdowns become harsher, even if it puts Brits out of pocket. Earlier this week, the government sensationally ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 holiday listings from its website - a move that could spike hotel prices and reduce accommodation availability during the upcoming summer.
An estimated 65,935 Airbnb properties will be delisted for breaking strict regulation rules. This could be because owners failed to include their licence number, didn't specify whether they were running as an individual or a company, or because their listed numbers did not match official records.
Already booked an Airbnb in Spain? You can follow one travel expert's advice here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Devastated Made In Chelsea star pays emotional tribute to close friends feared dead in Air India crash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MADE In Chelsea star Alex Mytton has shared his devastation amid fears that his two friends have died in the Air India crash. Alex, 33, has penned an emotional message after learning that Fiongal Greenlaw and Jamie Meek were believed to be on the doomed flight yesterday. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Alex Mytton's two friends are feared to have died in the Air India crash Credit: Instagram 7 Fiongal Greenlaw and Jamie Meek were believed to have died onboard the plane 7 The couple had attended Alex's wellness retreats Credit: Instagram The couple, who are known for being wellness gurus, had been enjoying a holiday together in India and had be due to return to London. Alex, who has hosted Fiongal and Jamie at his own retreats, has now spoken of his heartbreak in a message on Instagram. Tagging in his girlfriend Helen Wood, Alex wrote: "A bit lost for words and feeling a tad emotionally exhausted so I just want to write a short message so as to get the message out. "Our lovely friends Fiongal & Jamie were very sadly killed yesterday in the plane crash in India. "There's a lot more I want to say about them, as they were very close to @Hannah_woood & I's heart but right now I just wanted to say that if anybody wants to meet up tomorrow if they're feeling heavy, sad or just wanna hang out with some other humans I'm gonna be organising a little meet up & hug in the park or along the lines (sorry not making loads of sense atm). "It feels like there's a lot of sadness and pain at the moment and just wanted to do something as a vigil to our friends but also for everything else going on at the moment. "So please if you're feeling down or even just up for hanging out or just saying hey, it'll be a bunch of us just chatting and chilling in the park." The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India yesterday. The plane was headed to London Gatwick when it crashed just moments after take-off. Brit man, Ajay Kumar Vishwash, 40, cheated death after jumping off the flaming jet - walking away with minor injuries. He is believed to be the sole survivor of the catastrophe. Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary pay emotional tribute to This Morning star feared dead in Air India plane crash Earlier this year, the wellness brand founded by 39-year-old Fiongal and Jamie, 45, was promoted on This Morning. Fiongal appeared on the ITV daytime show earlier this year. Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond paid tribute to the couple at the start of Friday's episode. Dermot explained that Fiongal "appeared on This Morning twice this year" adding: "We loved his energy that he brought to the studio. "Fiongal was on board the plane with his husband." Dermot then spoke about how the couple shared videos online before they boarded plane. "Our thoughts and our prayers go to their loved ones and all those affected by this terrible tragedy." Former This Morning editor Martin Frizell has also shared a moving tribute. Sharing a snap of Fiongal posing with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley from the show online, Martin penned: "So so sad to hear that Fiongal Greenlaw Meek and his partner are reported to be among the passengers and crew killed today on board the Air India flight bound for Gatwick. "I remember his visit to the studio in January, he was passionate about auras and although I'm a sceptical sort his vibrancy and sheer enthusiasm won folk over." He continued: "And I know for a fact that he hoped to use his appearance on This Morning to build his Wellness brand, he had a great future ahead of him. "Thoughts are with his family and friends and those of his partner Jamie." 7 Alex and his girlfriend Helen Wood have arranged a vigil Credit: Instagram 7 The Made In Chelsea star says he is 'emotionally exhausted' Credit: Instagram 7 Alex and his girlfriend Helen were close to Fiongal and Jamie Credit: Instagram
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Danish influencer slammed for 'damaging' Skye beauty spot
August Vallat, who goes by the username outdoorgingerchannel and has more than a million followers on Instagram alone, has been told to 'show some respect' after he allegedly damaged a protected beauty spot in the Outer Hebrides. Locals reportedly discovered scorched trees, felled birch wood, and discarded bottles at the Cuillin Hills, near Glenbrittle, which prompted widespread outrage on social media. Vallat, who regularly promotes the ethics of leaving no trace while camping outdoors in his videos, has been accused of hypocrisy after allegedly leaving the area where he stayed 'like a festival site'. Walkers visiting the site after Vallat had stayed allegedly found burnt grass, food wrappers, and trees damaged, the International Business Times reported. READ MORE: Plans for Sicilian-flavoured spaghetti Western backed entirely by female funders Vallat has reportedly deleted several posts from social media relating to his time at Glenbrittle and has blocked people from commenting on certain videos on his Instagram account. In one video posted on Wednesday, which is still on his Instagram, Vallat states he's going to 'survive' in Scotland for three days. In the short clip, he can be seen using an open fire on top of what appears to be a grass verge. Later in the same video, he can be seen, along with two other men he said were Scots, adding what appears to be tree branches to the open fire. Vallat says at the end of the video: 'It's more beautiful than most of the nature I have seen in my life.' However, people have been quick to criticise the Dane with one person commenting under the video: 'What a shame that you think it's ok to come to the Isle of Skye and cut down trees. 'Spread rubbish everywhere. Damage the ground with your fires. 'You then complained when a well known mountaineer 'hurt your feelings' for telling you to clear up your rubbish as you camped on the Cuillin, one of the most spectacular places in the world. 'Unbelievable. Go and educate yourself.' Meanwhile, a second person said: 'Scotland is 'the most beautiful nature' you've seen, yet you choose to come here and cut down trees, leave scars on the landscape from your fire and basically leave it less beautiful than when you arrived. 'How dare you treat our country like this. 'If you actually give a shit about the outdoors, I hope that you take a good hard look at how you have been behaving and think about what you are encouraging your followers to do. They added: 'Show some respect for these beautiful places that you are lucky enough to travel through and the people who live here.' In another video, Vallat and the two other men are then seen drinking bottles of beer while standing in a waterfall. One person commented: 'Leave no trace means exactly that — leave no trace. 'You should be ashamed of the way you vandalised the natural environment.' However, Vallat has denied the claims that he left any of the areas in poor states after he visited them, as he said the reports were 'fake news'. He said: 'The article is fake news. We did not leave any trash behind us at the campsite. 'I don't even know how this got in a journal. 'I have been camping for three years, and I have never had a problem like this so don't believe in everything you see on the Internet.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I'm a female solo traveler who has been all over the world… five destinations scared me enough to NEVER return
A female solo traveler has revealed the shock destinations that scared her enough to never return. Andrea Elliott, who goes by Andreaboldbodytravels on TikTok, shared five places to be cautious about. 'I've received a lot of death threats in the past for the list that I'm about to get into. 'But if you are a solo traveling woman like me, or if you plan on solo traveling somewhere this summer, I would watch this video in its entirety for the list of destinations that I will never travel to again as a solo traveling woman,' she began her video. She then launched into her list - starting with Manila in the Philippines. Andrea said she stayed in Bonifacio Global City and 'it was definitely not safe.' 'My hotel wouldn't even let me go to the ATM outside,' she explained. 'They told me to put more clothes on, not to wear a tank top because there were so many men outside and it just wasn't safe for me to walk alone.' The traveler said she enjoyed the Philippines but 'Manila was not it.' Next up, to great surprise from viewers, was Paris, France, as she explained: 'I was literally almost mugged twice while on the subway.' 'And mind you, there are police walking around with guns - like a lot of police and law enforcement walking around - but yet I was still nearly mugged while on the subway in Paris,' Andrea added. 'I was also cautioned about pickpockets and advised not to go out alone at night.' Cartagena, Colombia, was the next destination that Andrea urged solo travelers to avoid. 'Overall, I really loved Cartagena, even though the men were pretty aggressive. 'The reason why Cartagena is on this list is because when I initially got there before I got into the walled city, I was taking a video from my taxi and stuck my arms slightly out of my taxi window. 'The cops then pulled up next to me in a scooter and told me to stick my arm back in - that it wasn't safe to have my cell phone out like that and just to be very cautious with my cell phone and my belongings.' She continued: 'Not only that, but other locals also told me not to be out and about taking video and that it just wasn't safe for me to walk alone around, especially at night.' Nearing the end of the list, Andrea issued a stark warning about Caye Caulker, Belize. 'I think Belize is so beautiful,' she began, 'Unfortunately, the men are very, very aggressive.' 'So much so that I had to pepper spray a man that was literally touching my person, touching me physically, just to get me to come into his restaurant,' she passionately explained. 'And y'all, this was multiple times. I had told this man after like passing by a couple of days, like, "No, I'm not interested. I'm not interested. No, thank you." 'And then finally he came up to me and was like touching me enough to where I had to pepper spray him and then he got the point.' But the number one place Andrea will never go to again - and advises other female solo travelers against - is San Salvador, El Salvador. 'I was almost kidnapped by two men walking in San Salvador next to El Boqueron,' Andrea revealed. 'These weren't gang members, and this was after Bukeli had already cleaned up the streets. 'These were construction workers because they were in a flatbed truck and they had wired spool in the back of their truck. 'They pulled up next to me, of course, I was walking alone. 'Both of them grabbed me by my arms and were pulling me inside of their truck.
