Protests against mass tourism Spaniards spray tourists with water pistols
Many families with small children also took part in the demonstration.
Image: dpa
Tourism is good for the economy.
Image: dpa
According to police estimates, there were around 8000 participants.
Image: dpa
Many families with small children also took part in the demonstration.
Image: dpa
Tourism is good for the economy.
Image: dpa
According to police estimates, there were around 8000 participants.
Image: dpa
The Balearic Islands are expecting a record number of visitors this year. In principle, this is good for the economy of the Spanish Mediterranean islands. But at the same time, the locals are growing increasingly resentful.
15.06.2025, 23:04
16.06.2025, 09:20
dpa
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- There were again demonstrations against mass tourism on Mallorca.
- Around 8000 people marched through the streets in the center of the island's capital Palma.
- Tourism brings in a lot of money, but is making life increasingly expensive for the locals.
Thousands of people have once again protested against mass tourism in Mallorca. According to police estimates, around 8000 people marched in the evening from Plaça d'Espanya square in the center of the island's capital Palma to the Passeig del Born promenade. The final rally took place there.
The demonstrators, including many pensioners and families with young children, chanted slogans such as "If you love Mallorca, don't destroy it!" The demonstration on the Spanish vacation island was called for by the umbrella initiative "Menys turisme, més vida" ("Less tourism, more life"), to which numerous organizations and groups belong.
The spokesperson for the initiative, Jaume Pujol, told the regional newspaper "Diario de Mallorca": "We must set limits to tourism." Among other things, they are calling for a limit on the number of visitors, a moratorium on cruises and an end to tourist rentals.
The number of visitors continues to grow
Almost a year after the major protest in July 2024, nothing has happened, complained Pujol. They had been completely ignored by the regional government. "The only thing they did was hold a few debates on sustainability, which were a flop," he criticized.
The number of tourists is growing from year to year. It is expected that the Balearic Islands with Mallorca, Ibiza & Co. will break the 20 million visitor mark for the first time this year. Around 19 million came in 2024, one million or five percent more than in 2023.
Tourism keeps the tills ringing
Mallorca alone, which has less than one million inhabitants, received 13.5 million tourists last year. The number of visitors from Germany to the Balearic Islands climbed by nine percent in 2024 to a record high of just over five million.
Tourists from abroad and Germany spent 22.4 billion euros on the islands in 2024 - around twelve percent more than in 2023. In Mallorca, tourism accounts for over 40 percent of total income. The industry is happy, but resentment is growing among the locals.
Protests against mass tourism also took place in other Spanish cities on Sunday, including Barcelona. However, according to police estimates, only around 600 people took part. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the Catalan capital with water pistols, among other things.
