Latest news with #antiTurismo
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Anti-tourist protesters take over sightseeing coach in Majorca with smoke bombs ahead of mass march tomorrow
SPANISH protesters held up a sightseeing bus in Palma de Majorca ahead of a major anti-tourism demonstration tomorrow. The goal of the act was to 'denounce the touristification and commercialisation' of the popular Spanish island, the group said. 4 4 Campaigners from 'Menys Turisme, Més Vida' (Less Tourism, More Life) staged the protest in the Majorcan capital city of Palma. They halted the bus, climbing onto it and unfurling a banner calling for an end to mass tourism. In a video shared on its social media account, the group said it is 'tired' and 'ready to break the tourism status quo'. It believes it's urgent to change the model to one that prioritises the well-being of the local population over the interests of the tourism industry. The group called on locals to join Sunday's demo at 6pm in Plaza de España. Thousands across the Balearic Islands - along with other parts of Spain - are expected to take part tomorrow. They are demanding the right to better housing, decent work, environmental sustainability and quality public services. It comes as Spain's first major overtourism protests of the year kicked off in April after thousands of people across 40 cities took to the streets. Majorca, one of the centres of the protests last year, hosted the first mass protests of the year. Nearly 40 organisations from the Balearic Islands are believed to have marched in Palma. Thousands of anti-tourist protesters flood Spanish hols hotspots & call on mob to super glue holiday rental locks The slogan of the protest was 'Let's end the housing crisis'. One anti-AirBnb campaign urged Majorcan locals to vandalise key boxes outside rentals by supergluing their locks. Later, in May, thousands flooded the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain's third wave of protests against overtourism this year. Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago's islands, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. The slogan of the march was: "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended." Other banners read: "The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience" and "Enough is enough!" The anti-mass tourism movement in Spain began gaining serious momentum in April 2024. Locals have been demanding an end to the problems associated with mass tourism, including pollution, traffic chaos and the lack of affordable housing. What is overtourism? Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where a destination experiences a volume of tourists that exceeds its manageable capacity The term is often used to describe the negative consequences of mass tourism, which includes overcrowding and environmental issues As a result, popular destinations have become less enjoyable for both visitors and locals Local communities, in particular, bear the brunt, facing rising costs and a depletion of resources In response, national and local governments have started to implement measures to reduce overtourism Some solutions include: Safeguarding historical and heritage sites Promoting off-peak travel Tourism caps and regulations Promoting lesser-known destinations
The Independent
06-06-2025
- The Independent
‘We are not a theme park': Overtourism protestors plan huge Mallorca demonstration
A Spanish campaign group leading a movement against overtourism in Mallorca has announced a large-scale protest in June that will see 60 organisations stand in solidarity. Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), an organisation which has led mass protests against the increasing number of tourists jetting off to the island each summer, has revealed it will yet again take to the streets on June 15 to demonstrate. Mallorca, along with other Spanish destinations, is a popular summer hotspot for tourists seeking hot temperatures, sandy beach resorts and villages tucked away at the foothills of limestone mountains. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets of Palma de Mallorca last summer, demonstrating against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July 2024, with people walking carrying models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. This year, Menys Turisme Més Vida said it will be holding another protest on 15 June, with 60 other anti-tourism groups, trade unions and environmental organisations taking part. The group is calling on Mallorcan residents to join them on the streets at 6pm in Plaça Espanya on the day of the demonstration. Speaking of the successful turnout of last year's mass protest, it said that it will again be protesting to make it 'clear that our territories are not for sale'. The group has called for limits to be put on tourism and the need for a strategy that will not exploit 'the territory, its resources and the marginalisation of residents and their vital needs for the benefit of tourist capital'. In a statement, the campaigners claimed that the tourist industry impoverishes people, makes it hard to access housing and diverts focus from the public sector. The organisation also draws attention to the environmental impact of overtourism, including pollution and carbon emissions. It called out the tourism sector for describing businesses as sustainable, stating that this is a 'manipulation' of language and a denial of the issues. Areas such as Sóller, Artà and Palma are already being affected by tourists, the campaign group said, saying daily life has become 'unbearable'. 'Entire roads and paths cut off by tourist-sports events, record numbers of cruise passengers, streets, squares and markets saturated with tourists, occupied and commercialised, and the situation of the housing problem increasingly bloody and without solutions,' it said. Menys Turisme Més Vida followed up with a statement on its social media that said while 'Mallorca is not against tourism', it cannot be a 'theme park open 24 hours a day'. 'Of course we want you to come. To get lost in the narrow streets of the old town, to sit by the sea in winter, to taste a freshly made ensaimada or listen to Mallorcan in a market. We want to share all that. But without meaning that we stop being who we are,' it said. The group said it will be standing in solidarity with hospitality workers in negotiations for better working environments during the high season, as there is usually an 'exploitation' of the working class during this period. 'We are taking to the streets again to say 'enough', and we will do it as many times as necessary,' it concluded.
