I would like to respond to the open letter addressing tourism in Mallorca, supporting the call to respond to and respect the needs of the residents by not choosing Mallorca as a travel destination currently.
Firstly, I commend the Islands residents for taking a really important stand that not only impacts Mallorca,but all cities facing unsustainable,degrading,destructive crushes of mass package,foreign luxury or the absolute worst,cruise ship tourism.
Having visited Mallorca briefly two years ago, I witnessed first hand the impact of mass tourism on your beautiful island. I could easily see landscapes,beaches,coves have been trampled by endless rows of aging generic concrete hotels, non degradable waste, tacky souvenir shops, and low-quality restaurants catering to the most superficial holiday experiences.
The worst is when the development is meant to badly and generically copy or simulate the low end mainstream tastes of "home" where the majority of tourists hail from. The ones who just want their country plonked on a much warmer beach without the responsibility or expectations of their home nation.
This trend of the past 40 years needs to end now. Enough is enough.
In some areas, the situation is even worse—former party strips have become the clichéd epicenters of reckless, boozy tourism, dominated by entitled awful behavior that brings destruction, resource demolition to this rare and ecologically sensitive island, and burns out the best seasonal workers that must deal with this crap over and over and over again for a declining get you nowhere wage.
It's a type of the worst 'colonisation lite' that really sprung forth in the late 1980s. Ruining entire precious seasons for locals to deal with annual mass market scourges.
As someone living in London, I deeply understand the consequences of housing displacement. Foreign wealth demolishing the spending power of local incomes, cartels moving in to price fix, push inflation, create chain gangs of vulnerable asylum seekers as trinket sellers, supply the increased demand of drugs and human exploitation. Property speculators, and private equity are the worst offenders ruining the possibility of owning for locals, where affordability should always be control indexed to 3x an annual local wage. For young and single people, they have to be able to afford to live in their own city. It should never be a pipe dream.Its a deadly serious crisis..I stand with Mallorca and her residents in saying: never again.
However with all reaction, there must be nuanced balance and pro action and I think the best way to address all of it is to have fallow years of no package based mass tourism, to recover from tourism, creating a permit system based on membership to ecological societies, an Island 'society' or the traditional ideals of international youth hostels, not party hostels, and focus on individual tourists , or niche categories of people who commit to the community,integrate, support tourism incomes from the bottom up and leave a very light foot print. Home swapping relationships are wonderful as the benefits are equalised and intimate.
There is a way forward where we can all enjoy each others countries, increase tourist sector income of independant and community based local beneficiaries, and roll back the worst displacement , excesses and gross mistakes of the last 40 years.
Thank you to Mallorca citizens for showing leadership, grit and determination to not only spearhead, but embolden a needed global movement to bring relief and change as soon as possible.
In solidarity and care,
Name and address supplied
Dear Sir,
I understand where the residents are coming from with this plea.
But, I am arriving in Mallorca in May on a walking holiday.
The hotel we are staying at is privately owned by a Mallorcan family.
The restraunts we eat are owned by Mallorcans.
The taxi we use to get to/from the hotel is owned by a Mallorcan.
We deliberately do not use international companies.
If Mallorca doesn't want people like us, then we will go elsewhere.
Name and address supplied
Hello,
With regard to the headlines, its very difficult to know what to do for the best. I look forward every year as I have done for some time, to my 10 days in Majorca.
Over the years I have become friendly with many Spanish who have the pleasure of calling Majorca their home. At one point I was considering moving there myself, but in light of recent protests and in all honesty a realisation on my part of the damage over tourism does, I decided not to.
Whenever I’m there, I try to only frequent Spanish owned bars, restaurants and shops, with Spanish staff, and I do wonder what would happen to their livelihoods, should tourism diminish to what may be perceived as more manageable.
I do want to be able to continue to enjoy my annual holiday in Majorca and I hope my presence doesn’t result in any confrontation. By the same token, after many years of anti-tourism, I have to say it really wouldn’t take much for me to take my patronage elsewhere as I feel the real issue with governance of the island, not the tourists.
Full name and address supplied
Dear Sir,
I totally understand the views of the Mallorquin population and the Balearic Government needs to act. I used to live in Mallorca - my (now adult) children are mallorquines.
When I visit the island, it is always to visit the Mallorquin side of my family and I tend to stay away from tourist areas (harder every year)
Last year, I visited in April and was astounded by the quantity of tourists in Palma…in April it was already almost impossible to even walk comfortably along a pavement.
The property situation is dreadful: despite being well educated and from reasonably well to do families, I don’t know how my nieces and nephews will be able to afford to buy houses. My son now lives in Australia and my daughter in London - even London feels less crowded than Palma!
Name and address supplied
1 comment
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
No tourists = no business for the locals, resulting in their businesses and restaurants being shut down!