The Menys Turisme Més Vida collective (‘Less Tourism More Life’) says there will be a protest against overtourism in Palma on July 26. This coming Sunday there is to be a press conference on the steps of the Cathedral to announce actions this summer, including this protest. The time for the protest on July 26, which is a Sunday, is 7pm. Menys Turisme Més Vida, which comprises various groups critical of overtourism and of responses to tackling this and related issues such as housing problems,
believes there are still more than enough reasons to maintain pressure to bring about change to the island’s tourism model, one based on mass tourism. Redevelopment at Palma Airport is viewed as an example of adding to the tourism load, not reducing it. Six new boarding gates in Module D, for domestic and Schengen flights, will increase the number of flights, Menys Turisme Més Vida argues. It is critical of the Balearic Government for not taking action to curb the influx of tourists. Certain announcements,
such as a vehicle restriction, are viewed as being band-aid solutions that do not address the root of the problem. President Prohens said the tourist tax rate in high summer would be increased, but her party – the Partido Popular – faced strong opposition to this from their supposed supporters in parliament, Vox. Prohens subsequently maintained an increase wasn’t necessary as government ‘tourism containment’ measures were working. In June last year there was a protest which included some harassment of people on terraces in Palma.
The police reckoned 8,000 people took part; the organisers said 30,000. This was a protest at which unrelated matters such as Gaza featured. It was suggested last year that there was some ‘protest fatigue’, while the government seemed content to just ride out the protest. While some visitors have been deterred by the protests, the general view is that they have had relatively little impact. A slowdown in tourism is attributed to economic factors and to an inevitable end to the so-called champagne effect that
followed the pandemic. Total tourist numbers in Mallorca and the Balearics shot up from 16.5 million before the pandemic to 18.75 million.
Mallorca, Palma, overtourism, Menys Turisme Més Vida, tourism tax, Palma Airport redevelopment, protest July 26, Cathedral steps press conference, Balearic Government, Prohens, Partido Popular, Vox, housing problems