Latest news with #Palma
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Here we go again! Defiant Majorcans vow this year's summer holiday protests will be bigger than last years as the mass tourism from Brits is making their lives 'unbearable'
Thousands of defiant anti-tourism protesters have vowed to bring the streets of Majorca to a standstill after they called for another major anti-tourist demonstration. The Spanish island's capital of Palma - a holiday hotspot popular among Brits- will be clogged on Sunday, June 15 as representatives of 60 groups today announced the protest. The move comes as Spain finds itself struggling to balance the promotion of tourism and addressing citizens' concerns over a housing crisis that they say has been fuelled by holidaymakers. The demonstration 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 5 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. Incomes in Spain have failed to keep up with rising housing costs, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment Irate activists aired their grievances to the angry mobs filling the streets, taking aim at the 'touristification' of resorts along Spain's coasts. In the southern city of Murcia, 500 people chanted: 'We will not tolerate one more eviction'. Up north in Santander, a city on Spain's Atlantic coast, residents demanded public houses. 'No houses without people, no people without houses,' 'everyone under a roof, housing is a right', those in attendance chanted. A generation of young people say they have to stay with their parents or spend big just to share an apartment, with little chance of saving enough to one day purchase a home. High housing costs mean even those with traditionally well-paying jobs are struggling to make ends meet. According to Spain's central bank, almost 40% of Spanish families who rent spend nearly half of their income on housing. In April last year the government said it would scrap its so-called 'golden visa' programme granting residency rights to foreigners who make large investments in real estate in the country, which the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said would help make access to affordable housing 'a right instead of a speculative business'. The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years. The price per square meter rose from 7.2 euros in 2014 to 13 euros last year, according to real estate website Idealista. The increase is bigger in Madrid and Barcelona. Incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Spain does not have the public housing that other European nations have invested in to cushion struggling renters from a market that is pricing them out. Spain was rocked by mass demonstrations last summer, as tens of thousands of fed up locals filled the streets to protest mass tourism. Anti-tourism campaigners have long been contesting the current tourism model, claiming that many locals have been priced out by holidaymakers, expats and foreign buyers. Last year, Spain saw a record-breaking number of tourists, with over 15 million visitors flocking to the island of Mallorca alone. In response, protestors took to the streets across Spain, leaving countless visitors fuming after paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy their holidays abroad. Actions included marches on the street with protesters chanting 'tourists go home', as well as demonstrations on beaches which saw locals boo and jeer at sun-soaked tourists. In one particular instance, up to 50,000 locals descended onto the streets of the Mallorca capital Palma. Meanwhile in Barcelona, some 2,800 people marched along a waterfront district of Barcelona to demand a new economic model that would reduce the millions of tourists that visit every year. Protesters carried signs reading 'Barcelona is not for sale,' and, 'Tourists go home,' before some used water guns on tourists eating outdoors at restaurants in popular tourist hotspots. Chants of 'Tourists out of our neighbourhood' rang out as some stopped in front of the entrances to hotels.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
JONATHAN BROCKLEBANK: A labyrinth of misery with QR codes, apps and sign-ins. Why I WON'T be joining the electric car revolution!
One weekend in February I booked a hire car for my May sojourn in Mallorca, paid my euros and thought no more about it for three months. I didn't think about it when I printed off my rental documents hours before my departure from Glasgow Airport two weeks ago. I didn't even think about it on the minibus between Palma Airport and the depot where you pick up your wheels. I thought about it only when the woman behind the desk informed me the car I was about to drive away was charged to 60 per cent and that I must return it with a similar charge or else incur financial pain. 'Charged to 60 per cent?' I repeated. 'Wait a second. Is this an electric car?' 'Sí señor, it say on your document – 'fully electric'.' Gosh, so it did. I admitted I had never driven one of these before, far less charged one. 'You have a phone, señor? Just like charging your phone.' Well, if nothing else, I thought, it would be learning experience. Who knows, five years from now I might own one of these babies. The Scottish Government would certainly think me a good boy if I did. So let this holiday be my electric car induction. It was easy to locate my ride in the car park. It was the one that looked like a spaceship. I got in and looked for the ignition. There wasn't one. I felt for the gearstick. Gone. Let's at least release the handbrake. Vanished. I stared at an alien array of buttons and protrusions around the steering wheel and at the touchscreen monitor behind it, spilling with unfathomable data and taking up almost half the width of the car. They might as well have rented me a helicopter. Right, soldier. First things first. Let's figure out how to make it go, get where we're going safely and worry about the rest later. A 60 per cent charge should be ample for a few days. Bags of time for a smart guy like you to crack electric motoring. And how hard could it be? There's a global push to get us into these things. It's not like the industry would set out to confound us with intractable challenges which might serve only to rekindle our passion for the petrol pump. Forty miles later, at my lodgings in San Telmo, the charge was down to 48 per cent. But no brooding on that today. You're here safely. You made the electric car go and you didn't crash into anything. Relax now. You're on holiday. I brooded. A fifth of my charge gone and I'd only just arrived. I needed to know I could plug this thing in – you know, like you do with a phone – before any balcony G&Ts could happen. Electric cars are terribly clever in their way. They know where all the public charging points are, and you can ask the satnav to take you to them. My car told me that the village of San Telmo was a charging desert. But here was one in Port Andratx, a 15-minute drive away. I set off and eventually found it. It was for customers of an upmarket sailing club. It bore the brand name Porsche. A Porsche was plugged into it. It was the wrong kind of charger anyway. You may recall decades ago there were two kinds of videotape: VHS and Betamax. It was chaos – a format war between technology competitors which offered the customer nothing but confusion and inconvenience. Lessons, you would think, have been learned. Nobody intent on saving the planet would be crazy enough to introduce rival electric vehicle charging formats which render half of them a non-starter for all users. Yup, you would think. My charge was down to 44 per cent. Chin up, here's another charging point ten minutes away in Camp De Mar. I drove there and never found it. Empty pavement where salvation should have been. I glanced at the dashboard: 42 per cent. On, then, to Peguera where another charger was showing on the satnav. There were, in fact, two – one the wrong format and one the right one. I hauled the charging cable out of the boot and studied the digital display on the charging point, which was blank. I tapped my bank card against what looked like a sensor and the screen sprang into life. 'Access denied,' it said. I scanned the QR code on the sticker attached to the machine. It took me to a website which sold cars. I Googled the company name on the charging point and downloaded its app. I logged in as a new customer. It asked me for my ID number. What ID number? I gave up, put the cable back in the boot and decided to head back to San Telmo for that G&T. The car wouldn't start. A computer screen nearly a yard long and nothing on it telling me why. It relented after half an hour and I returned to base uncharacteristically careworn for day one in Mallorca. Down, now, to 35 per cent. The evening was spent in research mode. Tomorrow was a new day. I'd be fresh, alert, informed and would rise to the challenge. Just wait and see, by lunchtime I'd be fully juiced and seeing the funny side of today. By lunchtime I was parked at yet another uncooperative charging point in yet another Mallorcan town, practically sobbing down the phone to the rental company. 'I'm at 25 per cent! I'm wasting all my charge driving around the island looking for charging points. Soon I won't have enough charge to get me back to Palma. 'Look, I'm begging you now, give me a petrol car…' QR codes, apps, impenetrable sign-ins, vehicle ID codes, personal ID codes, plug compatibility… I was done in. Do you know, there are places called petrol stations where you swing by, fill up, pay at the kiosk and drive off, no questions asked? Would it have taken a genius to make electric car charging a bit like that? Downside If customers must live with the downside of having to leave their car charging for hours – as opposed to the minute it takes to refuel – might there at least be an upside in user friendliness? Clear instructions on every charger for newcomers to the electric revolution, perhaps? A scanner that accepts all major debit and credit cards? Nope. You're on your own, kid. Now save the planet. On returning to Scotland I've sought out several charging points to see whether they offer the new user any more hope of success than the Spanish ones. They don't. 'Scan this QR code'; 'Download this app'. Enter our maddening labyrinth of misery. The car hire firm sorted me out on day three. I sucked up the financial pain that flowed from returning it with a 13 per cent charge. Its petrol replacement was a beauty. Twin exhaust. 'Vrrrooooomm,' said the accelerator. Driving back to San Telmo, I turned the music up. I put my shades on. I passed filling stations I could do business with. On, then, with the holiday.
Travel Daily News
2 days ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
TUI Airways takes flight from Southampton Airport for first time in 15 years
TUI Airways resumes Southampton to Palma flights after 15 years, supporting summer travel demand and enhancing Marella Cruises' Mediterranean itineraries. TUI Airways has resumed its flights from Southampton Airport to Palma De Mallorca, marking the first departure in 15 years. The inaugural full flight took off yesterday (Tuesday, 27th May), reconnecting travellers with the largest and sunniest of the Balearic Islands. This weekly service will operate until the end of September, perfectly complementing Marella Cruises' eagerly awaited summer program. The reintroduced route offers holidaymakers and cruise enthusiasts a seamless connection to Mallorca's stunning beaches, vibrant cultural attractions, and delightful Mediterranean climate Gavin Williams, Managing Director at Southampton Airport, said: 'Our passengers were hugely excited when the return of TUI was first announced last year. It was fantastic to see our passengers on the first services which provides an exciting new travel opportunity for the Central South region. We look forward to welcoming more passengers on this flight as we continue to expand and enhance our travel options.' TUI UK's Director of Flight Capacity Management Aviation Planning Karen Switzer said: 'We are extremely excited to see the return of TUI Airways to Southampton Airport to reconnect travellers with the vibrant corner of the world that is Palma. We understand how important it is for customers to have access to flights from their local airports, and this latest addition brings the number of regional airport that TUI Airways fly from to 24. We look forward to welcoming customers on board from May next year and taking them away on their dream Mallorcan holiday.' For those looking to set sail soon, Marella Cruises sailings will include Mediterranean itineraries aboard Marella Discovery, 'Cosmopolitan Classics' departing from Palma, Majorca and calling at Cagliari, Sardinia, Naples (for Pompeii and Capri), Italy, Piombino (for Siena and Pisa), Italy, Villefranche (for Monaco and Nice, France, Palamos, Spain and finishing up once again in Palma.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
TUI launches new flights from UK airport for the first time in 15 years
TUI Airways has returned to Southampton Airport for the first time in over a decade with brand-new flights. The new flights have launched from the site in Eastleigh all the way to Majorca. 5 5 The new weekly service is to the capital of the Spanish island, Palma. The flights will continue until the end of September of this year. Gavin Williams, managing director at Southampton Airport, said: "Our passengers were hugely excited when the return of TUI was first announced last year. "It was fantastic to see our passengers on the first services which provides an exciting new travel opportunity for the Central South region. "We look forward to welcoming more passengers on this flight as we continue to expand and enhance our travel options." TUI previously offered flights from Southampton to Majorca, but they were scrapped in 2009. And TUI isn't the only airline to launch a new route from Southampton Airport. easyJet has launched a new flight from the airport to Paris with twice weekly operations. The service is year-round and operates twice per week on Mondays and Fridays. easyJet has planned up to 21 weekly departures from Southampton during peak summer 2025. 5 5 As for TUI, its already added new routes to three affordable holiday destinations from Cardiff Airport which will begin in 2026. The new routes next year are to Faro, Fuerteventura and Hurghada. The routes from Cardiff Airport to the Egyptian coastal city of Hurghada will start on May 2, 2026. The beach resort town stretches along Egypt's Red Sea coast and is known for being one of the best spots for water sports, particularly scuba diving. TUI is also launching a brand-new route from Cardiff to Faro on May 21, 2026. There are lots of beaches to visit like Quarteira and Vilamoura as well those on the sandbar islands of Ilha de Faro and Ilha Deserta. Fuerteventura is the second largest of Spain's Canary Islands and is another route that TUI is starting from December 20, 2025. It will then continue throughout the winter months, and through summer too. Here's another route from TUI that is heading to one of the most popular Spanish islands this summer.
Eater
3 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Deep Ellum Continues to Play the Restaurant ‘Hunger Games' as Two New Spots Open
Every month, a new crop of restaurants opens in the Metroplex. While everyone loves a good steakhouse, sushi spot, and burger joint, this round-up will give you the high-end spots and the low-end spots that are new to town — be they good, bad, or so bad, they're good/so good they're bad. Whether it's a locally-owned restaurant or the latest addition of a chain, here's what's happening in the world of restaurant openings in Dallas and beyond for the month. Send your openings news to dallas@ Palma 2625 Main Street in Dallas One goes out and another goes in — or, hey, there's yet another new restaurant in Deep Ellum opening where a previously new restaurant, in this case Postino, closed. Now, Omaha's Flagship Restaurant Group is taking its chance in the neighborhood with a restaurant serving what it describes as Tex-Asian fare. Look for Thai curry fries with chili mayo, banh mi cheesesteaks, a nod to a fast food titan in the KFC Crispy Chicken Sandwich with matcha chile crisp, and Galbi short ribs. In addition to lunch and dinner, Palma will also serve brunch with options including five-spice beignets, chicken tinga chilaquiles, and a kimchi fried rice omelette. Per the press release, this is 'the first outpost of Phoenix's beloved botanical-inspired sanctuary,' so it's got, you know, plants and light inside. There is now a patio, and while the press release notes that it features a fireplace, it does not mention any sun covers, air conditioning, or misters. Welcome to Texas, y'all. Ghost Donkey 2625 Main Street in Dallas Right next door to Palma, and from the same hospitality group, is a new mezcal and tequila bar. It offers curated flights and a long menu of mezcals and tequilas — and the words 'Casa Migos' are nowhere to be found, so we don't hate it. There are also creative cocktails, like the Pistelero (Espolòn blanco tequila, ancho reyes verde, roasted poblano, and pineapple sherbet) and the Highland Picnic (Koch elemental mezcal, terralta reposado tequila, yuzu, agave, and egg white). There are also zero-proof options and frozen cocktails, along with a short list of bar bites, including chips and salsa, tacos, and quesadillas. Happy hour looks extremely limited, and you won't be able to try any of those cool-sounding cocktails during it, but it runs from Monday to Saturday, from opening at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday until 8 p.m. and all day Sunday. Don't do a double-take when you enter — yes, that is a life-sized stuffed donkey. Stewart's Croquet & Cocktails 4424 White Settlement Road in Fort Worth Chef Tim Love makes a splash for summer with what he dubs 'a country club for the people.' We call it a cocktail bar with croquet. Whichever description you prefer, Love was influenced by British clubs from the previous century, where folks could get a nice Pimm's Cup and have a civilized afternoon of games and day drinking. The bar food is fancy, including a Silver Fin (Royal Ossetra caviar served with six chilled Grey Goose shots), caviar bumps, Texas blue crab cakes, a lobster roll, and zucchini carpaccio. Guests can order pretty much whatever they want to drink, but the highlight of Stewart's is the martini cart, from which bartenders make the tableside martini of your dreams with nearly endless options using 'a bespoke blend of dry vermouths and a selection of six custom bitters,' according to a press release. Finish with two olives or a twist, it's all up to you. Pine Isle 2325 North Fitzhugh Avenue, Suite 104 in Dallas Dallas simply doesn't have enough Hawaiian food, and Pine Isle is here to solve the problem. Here, find pork lau lau, barbecue chicken, Spam musubi, poke bowls, and salads in both regular, single-sized servings or by the pound for catering orders, poke nachos, miso salmon, and garlic shrimp — along with many other items, and all the plates come with rice and a macaroni salad coated with papaya seed dressing. This is a takeaway-only spot, and well worth a visit. Neko Yobu 1499 Regal Row, Suite 105 in Dallas A cute new Korean spot is open in West Dallas, just outside of Love Field. Yobu's feature item is a fried tofu skin used to make sushi-like rolls filled with fried rice and toppings, including beef bulgogi, butter crab, raw or torched salmon, spicy pork, tuna, and more. Pair a box with a vibrantly colored cup of guava ade, lemonade, mango ade, kiwi Ade, strawberry ade, or Korean iced coffee. This tiny location has a few tables but appears to be mostly geared towards takeout. Himalayan Corner 4251 East Renner Road, Suite 106 in Richardson Cuisine from Nepal and India is on the menu at this new establishment in Richardson. The Himalayan chicken curry, salmon vindaloo, saag lamb, and paneer tikka are already winning rave reviews. It also offers Himalayan goat curry, several options for naan, a mixed grill plate, and chow mein in vegetarian and non-vegetarian plates. The small, cozy spot has a homey vibe, with black tablecloths and intimate seating. Gigi's Bar & Lounge 7300 Lone Star Drive, C150 in Plano Plano welcomes a Latin-inspired restaurant and cocktail lounge that's open for late-night antics. Owned by Giza 'Gigi' Mayorga, who waited tables for a decade before finally opening her own place, the eponymous venue will serve street tacos and machete-style quesadillas made with roasted chicken, Tajin-spiced shrimp, carnitas, and chili-rubbed skirt steak. Bar-goers can enjoy small plates of chicken wings, tostadas, yuca con chicharrón, and skewers of beef or chicken, accompanied by dipping sauces such as chimichurri and crema. For bigger plates, it has a Guatemalan rotisserie half-chicken, spicy citrus-glazed sea bass, and roasted beef filet medallions — all served with variations on mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. On the cocktail menu, find light twists on established cocktails, like the espresso martini, Old Fashioned, and ranch water. It is open until 2 a.m. nightly with DJs and entertainment. And, there is brunch on the weekends. Masuki Sushi 3420 K Avenue, #156 in Plano Looking for all-you-can-eat sushi? A new restaurant in Plano is offering exactly that, including all-you-can-eat appetizers, sushi, sashimi, hot stone bowls, yubu, hibachi, and more. It offers all the expected rolls, nigri, cuts of sashimi, and even sushi towers. The price for all-you-can-eat is on a scale that starts at $22.95. Gas Monkey Icehouse 4545 Destination Drive in The Colony An old-school Dallas favorite for folks who like beer and live music has returned (kind of) at the Grandscape in The Colony. Owner Richard Rawlings, who revived the Gas Monkey brand, has opened this spot with a massive outside courtyard, where folks can expect pizza, smashburgers, chicken wings, beers, and to see Rawlings, who is the star of the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud , filming for his YouTube channel. There will, of course, also be live music and other entertainment. It offers lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch services. Sign up for our newsletter.
