Too many tourists? Top Spanish resorts ponder action

Overcrowding is becoming a problem

Jason Moore04/03/2023 10:32

Lanzarote in the Canary Islands wants fewer tourists. The popular holiday destination has declared itself a “tourist-saturated area” and is now considering ways to limit the number of British visitors it welcomes. The move will be music to the ears of various smaller Mallorcan political parties who have called for a curb on tourist numbers during peak season.

In fact the Balearic government no longer promotes Mallorca peak season because of opposition from junior coalition members, Mes, who want fewer tourists and who are also calling for a ban on non-resident property purchases.

Overcrowding is an existential threat to the island, says Lanzarote’s President María Dolores Corujo.

In Mallorca there have been calls for "fewer tourists but with a greater spending power." Last summer the local authorities launched a big crackdown on rowdy behaviour by tourists.

The Balearic government has already curbed the number of giant cruise ships which can visit the port of Palma.