“Tourism was like a kind of colonizer”: the Balearic Islands say “basta” to overtourism

A month after the historic demonstration in the Canary Islands, the residents of the Balearic Islands are mobilizing to denounce the overtourism to which they are victims. On Friday, May 24, it was the island of Ibiza that said stop “massive and selfish tourism” and Saturday, May 25, a demonstration will take place in Palma de Mallorca with cries of “Mallorca is not for sale”.

The Balearic Islands can no longer cope. They are not against tourism, but against overtourism, which has only increased over the years and has very negative consequences. The environment is deteriorating, but so are the living conditions of residents, who are faced with insecure tourism jobs, saturated infrastructure, increasingly expensive housing and constantly rising costs of living.

This tourist model is harmful, residents believe. “Tourism was like a colonizer of different territorial areas, until the holiday rental boom came straight into our homes,” explains Margalida Ramis, president of the environmental association Gob in Mallorca.

“Tourist economic activity has therefore come into conflict with the development of our daily lives. Its ecological footprint is beastly. It requires enormous amounts of energy and materials that we do not produce here, and generates surpluses in the form of pollution and waste, leading to surpluses. are difficult to deal with, not to mention the social tensions it causes and which continues to grow., adds Margalida Ramis. The number of tourists continues to break records in the Balearic Islands: 17.8 million last year, of which 14 million were foreign tourists, an increase of 9% compared to 2022. Local residents are demanding a model change and urgent action, before it is too late.