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.
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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 their social media accounts, the group said they are “tired” and “ready to break the tourism status quo”.
They believe 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 are expected to take part tomorrow.
They are demanding the right to better housing, decent work, environmental sustainability and quality public services.
The protest on Sunday is expected to take place in other cities across Spain.
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 said to have marched in the Mallorcan capital of Palma.
The slogan of the protest was ‘Let’s end the housing crisis‘.
One anti-AirBnb campaign urged locals in Majorca to vandalise key boxes outside rentals by supergluing their locks.
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!”
Locals are 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
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