Around 300 people occupied Calo des Moro in Santanyi on Sunday in protest at beach overcrowding in the island amid growing resentment at the number of UK tourists
Locals in Majorca have taken to the beaches in a protest against UK tourists, who they claim are causing “overtourism”.
British holidaymakers have been issued warnings following rising tensions on the Balearic Islands, particularly on Sunday (June 16), when Majorcan residents decided to take matters into their own hands. Approximately 300 locals occupied Calo des Moro beach in Santanyi as a demonstration against overcrowding on the island’s beaches, reports the Majorca Daily Bulletin. The occupation was orchestrated by the Mallorca Platja Tour social media group. The protest kicked off at 8am with just 20 people, but numbers soon swelled as more locals joined in.
According to the organisers: “We want to spend a day at the beach with people from here. To do so we had to come at eight in the morning, otherwise it would have been impossible.” The protesters promised a day of fun and festivity, aiming to enjoy a swim while also highlighting the issue of overcrowding that hinders local access to the beaches. The demonstration was scheduled to wrap up at 1pm, reports Birmingham Live.
In response to the beach occupation, one Brit took to social media to question: “Why ohh why do people want to go to places they are not wanted ? They wanted you years ago when they were little villagers but they have grown in size and they don’t want you anymore, leave them to themselves and why they have no more revenue coming in they’ll be crying for you to go back , don’t go let them eat cake go to place that make you welcome?”.
“Reduce the number of Hotels seems to be the obvious route -if this is a problem ? If the Majorcans are not careful , nobody will come back next year and they will have to power their economy from the Majorcan car industry,” one individual expressed on Facebook. “These issues seen increasingly, especially in small islands, are indicative of one major fact, Too many people. islands have the wrong mix of holiday accommodation/affordable accommodation for workers to wait on those holidaying… all down to greed somewhere in the chain,” another commented.
Defending their upcoming trip, one traveller said: “Going to Tenerife next Saturday and will spend our money locally. We have no control over wages, housing or the building of hotels and accommodation. Ask the locals who have either sold or rented their homes,”.
“The French don’t spend like the Brits on holiday. The Japanese take thousands of photos but don’t buy anything. The Germans and Scandinavians spend well almost the same as the British but the Spanish economy will notice a real drop in income if they upset their main source of tourism,” one person commented. “Seems some folks like to bite the hands that feed them,” another agreed.
