A group of residents, mostly from Palma, have formed a platform to express gratitude to tourists for visiting the island. Today, before and during the demonstration against overcrowding, they placed stickers on the demonstrators' posters and handed out cards with the message "We love you" to holidaymakers.
The platform, welovetourismmallorca.com, consists of individuals who reject the growing hostility towards tourists. They emphasise that "Mallorcans have relied on tourism for a long time."
For now, the group members prefer to remain anonymous, but they call for "common sense" and caution that "there is no logic in biting the hand that feeds us."
In addition to placing stickers, some members visited central areas of the city, where tourists typically gather, and personally handed out cards with heartfelt messages of appreciation for visiting Mallorca.
Their website states, "WeLoveTourismMallorca acknowledges Mallorca's saturation problem but firmly believes that tourists are not solely responsible and that closing our island to them is not the solution."
They add, "The situation is complex with many variables, so we cannot demonise tourism alone, as it is the main engine of our islands' economy. More parameters should be analysed and other perspectives considered. Therefore, we want to send a message of support and affection to all our visitors in light of recent demonstrations."
The platform's proposals include seeking solutions through community input: "We invite society to share their opinions and suggestions on tackling these problems. Together, we can find a better future for all. We encourage anyone to submit proposals through this form so we can present them at the negotiation table being organised by the Balearic Government. This is a civil society initiative with no political affiliations."
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This is getting silly. We hate you/we love you. Amateurs interfering in a professionals' game. What's next?
How refreshing it is to see this. Its about time tourists and ex-pats felt a bit of love from Mallorca unfortunately the minority always make all the noise. I can understand why these guys want to stay anonymous but they need media attention as the only message outsiders are getting and even ex-pat residents are getting is that they aren't welcome.
"Group members call for common sense and caution that there is no logic in biting the hand that feeds us." Correct.