GOB maintains that there has been a misdiagnosis of the current social, economic and environmental situation in Majorca and believes that the zoning plan will lead to an "over-exploitation". Data from 2011, which GOB says has been used, do not reflect the "significant explosion" in rentals over the past two years. The group argues that this explosion partly occurred because a moratorium on new licences was not put in place while legislation was being worked on.
In 2016, GOB estimates, there was an increase to 123,000 rentals places (beds) and insists that this growth should have been frozen. The zoning now being proposed is not therefore based on current indicators and also doesn't take account of the global impact of the increase in holiday rentals in Majorca. The situation, according to GOB, is "already at the limit". "We cannot accept that areas which have not yet been affected by all the negative effects of mass tourism are added so that the whole island is subject to over-exploitation."
The environmentalists complain that energy, waste, water, purification and road infrastructure is already overstretched, and they cite a recent study by the University of the Balearic Islands which shows that the islands have the highest index of tourist density in the world. An incursion of tourist uses into residential areas, GOB claims, is turning the whole island into a "hotel".
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Yes. While the were banning a few dozen private holiday rentals, they were approving permissions to build giant hotels of 1500 beds. Should have been the other way round to maintain some balance on tourist demands and the resulting saturation. The trouble is that the officials here are unable to resist the backhanders they're offered in return for favours.