Latest news with #CanPicafort
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The devastating effects of Spain's anti-tourism protests revealed in shocking hotel report
Bookings in some of Mallorca's most popular summer holiday resorts have slumped by as much as 20 per cent, say hoteliers on the Balearic Island, suggesting holidaymakers are voting with their feet following anti-tourism marches. The hoteliers association that represents the resorts of Alcudia and Can Picafort say their key markets have slowed in recent months. The news comes following major anti-tourism protests across mainland Spain and its islands this year - with another huge protest march in the pipeline for Mallorca's capital next weekend. Last week, thousands of defiant anti-tourism protesters vowed to bring the streets of Palma to a standstill on June 15th, with representatives of around 60 groups saying they're planning to march. The Alcudia and Can Picafort hoteliers association this week said bookings had dropped across key markets, including Germany, its number one market, reporting a 15% to 20% slump on last year. Pablo Riera-Marsa, president of the hotelier's Association, said: 'We are seeing how the German market, traditionally our Number 1 market, is the one that has slowed down the most.' However, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports that the group is optimistic that late bookings would still see figures rise, saying tourists were edging their bets on bargain last-gasp deals. He explained: 'We are detecting that this season, last-minute bookings are once again becoming more popular, with tourists waiting for special offers and promotions before making their purchase decisions.' The hoteliers association maintained that numbers are simply returning to normal levels following a 'champagne effect', when people started travelling again following the end of the pandemic. The demonstration in Palma on June 15th will be led by campaign group 'Menys Turisme, Mes Vida' (Less tourism, more life), which claims that the everyday life of locals has become 'unbearable' thanks to foreign holidaymakers. They have accused both the Balearic Islands' government of ignoring the pleas for drastic changes in their current tourism model. The platform is asking the island's residents to take to the streets to demand a change in the economic model and what they describe as 'touristification.' This will be the third major protest of its kind but the activists say they are getting nowhere despite calls to clampdown on tourists. The demonstration in Palma will be held simultaneously with similar marches in Ibiza, Barcelona, Donosti and other major Spanish cities. 'We stand for the right to a dignified life and to demand an end to touristification', said Jaume Pujol, spokesman for Menys Turisme, Més Vida. The group today also criticised the local government, accusing them of promoting policies that have aggravated the mass tourism crisis. They also warned that, with the start of the tourist season, 'unbearable situations' are already being repeated on the island, including road closures due to tourist events and genera; saturation of public spaces and markets. Menys Turisme, Mes Vida also argued that their island is 'not for sale' and that 'it is urgent to put limits' on a tourism model that they consider increasingly destructive. It comes a month after tens of thousands of furious Spaniards took to the streets across the country to demand a solution to the cost of living crisis they say has been exacerbated by tourism. The demonstrations on April 5th took place across major Spanish towns and cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Palma. According to organizers, 30,000 people took to the streets of Malaga - a seaside town in the south of Spain - as they demanded solutions to the housing crisis, with banners reading: 'Houses for the people of Málaga. Hotels for tourists, affordable rents.' But police reported that around 5,000 demonstrators took part in the Malaga march. Residents were photographed holding banners with the slogan: 'Houses for the people of Málaga. Hotels for tourists'. Some also hung posters from their balconies and windows with messages saying: 'Housing is a right, not a business'. Meanwhile in Madrid, around 15,000 people gathered in the capital's neighbourhood of Atocha and marched towards Plaza de Espana shouting slogans like: 'Landlords are thieves' and 'Madrid will be the tomb of rentals'. Angry renters pointed to instances of international hedge funds buying up properties, often with the aim of renting them to foreign tourists. The question has become so politically charged that Barcelona's city government pledged last year to phase out all its 10,000 permits for short-term rentals, many of them advertised on platforms like Airbnb, by 2028. Marchers in Madrid last month chanted 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods' and held up signs against short-term rentals. 'No more leaving our neighborhoods, our homes, or even our cities every five or seven years,' said Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid tenants' union, in a statement at the start of the demonstration. 'We're calling on the half-million households whose contracts expire in 2025 to stay home and resist,' she added. Last month, British holidaymakers were left cowering in hotels as protesters stormed the streets of the Canary Islands.
The Sun
7 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Brit boy, 4, sucked into pool filter at Majorca hotel sparking desperate rescue mission
A FOUR-year-old Brit boy had to be rescued after his hand was sucked into a swimming pool pipe at a hotel in Majorca. The horror unfolded on Sunday at Hotel Zafiro in the Spanish holiday resort Can Picafort after the boy put his hand into an uncovered skimmer outlet. 3 3 3 When the unsuspecting child put his hand into the hole, a suction vacuum was created trapping his arm inside the small structure, according to Diaro de Mallorca. The harrowing accident then sparked a desperate rescue mission. Emergency services then rushed to the hotel and found the boy stuck inside the pool. They first tried to pull the boy out manually, but once this failed they resorted to draining the entire pool. Once the whole pool was emptied using pumps, the team dug out the pipe which had sucked the child in. The four-year-old was also give a helmet and earmuffs while rescuers worked to free him. Thankfully after 30 minutes, the boy was released from the tight pipe. He was taken to hospital for examination. But luckily he did not sustain any serious injuries. A court is now probing whether or not the hotel could be held responsible for negligence, local media reported. Brit dad fighting for life in Majorca after plunging head first into creek 'in freak accident' while playing with kids A spokesperson for the hotel told the MailOnline: "Our staff activated the emergency protocols, notifying the assistance services and the firefighters, who quickly responded to the scene. "The pool was emptied urgently to facilitate the actions of professionals." This allowed them to "release the minor as soon as possible, who is now in good condition, under hospital observation". They added: "The family has expressed their gratitude to us for the quick response of the entire team. "This was a random incident that is already being thoroughly reviewed to take all necessary corrective measures and further strengthen our security controls." The petrifying accident comes after a "precious" four-year-old boy who died on holiday in Tenerife, Spain, was set to be laid to rest. Edward James Watson Massey passed away following a swimming pool accident just before 5pm local time on Thursday, May 22. And in November a "cheeky" five-year-old Brit boy drowned in a hotel pool just one day into his first family holiday abroad. Egypt, without his armbands on.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Horror as British four-year-old is sucked into Majorca hotel's swimming pool filter sparking frantic rescue mission
A British four-year-old boy had to be rescued after getting his hand stuck in a swimming pool pipe at a Majorca hotel, causing panic among guests. The horror incident took place on Sunday at Hotel Zafiro in Can Picafort, a holiday resort in northern Majorca. The small boy had reportedly put his hand into a skimmer outlet that was not covered, which resulted in the suction creating a vacuum, which sucked in his arm and trapped it, news outlet Diaro de Mallorca reported. Emergency services rushed to the hotel, where they worked quickly to free the boy. They were unable to free him at first, so resorted to draining the pool by using pumps before digging out the pipe. The child was given a helmet and earmuffs as rescuers worked to free him. After around 30 minutes, the boy was released and taken to hospital for an examination. He did not sustain any serious injuries. A court is now investigating whether the hotel could be held responsible for any negligence, according to local media. The distressing incident involving a British tourist in a Spanish holiday hotspot comes a week after an eight-year-old British boy suffered a severe brain injury after following from a third floor balcony in Ibiza. The young boy is said to have fallen off a balcony at the Aparthotel Vibra Bay in the holiday resort of San Antonio. He was initially rushed to a private clinic in Ibiza's old town, where he underwent emergency surgery before being airlifted to Son Espapses in the Majorcan capital of Palma. Local reports said the transfer had occurred because there was no paediatric intensive care unit available in Ibiza. The youngster is said to have suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and cerebral oedema as well as chest injuries and a broken jaw. A Civil Guard source said the incident was still under investigation but was being treated at this stage as an accident thought to have occurred while the injured boy was playing on a balcony. It also comes after a a 24-year-old British holidaymaker was left critically injured after plunging from his hotel in Puerto Banus near Marbella on the Costa del Sol last week. He was staying in a first-floor room with friends who are said to have been sleeping when he fell. The injured tourist is thought to have been drinking heavily before he plunged to the street below the Hard Rock Hotel.
