Anti-tourism protests are scaring Brits and putting them off going to once-popular Spanish resorts, according to officials and holidaymakers. Miguel Pérez-Marsá, head of the nightlife association, told Majorca Daily Bulletin: “The tourists we’re interested in are being driven away; they don’t feel welcome and are going to other destinations.”
A British Majorca resident told the outlet: “For several years I have professed Puerto Soller as my spiritual home… but last time I was there it was so busy with visitors… the quiet charm of the place seemed to have been stolen. And for some dreadful reason the bullfighting has been started again at Inca. I feel unable to return.”
Another added: “I thought Spain did not want too many tourists, so my family voted with our feet and went to Portugal. We will not be going back to Spain—should make everybody happy”.
Tour guides shared the British tourists’ outlook. Pedro Oliver, president of the College of Tour Guides, said: “The anti-tourism messages are resonating.”
He claimed excursion sales have fallen by 20% this summer, with the Valldemossa, Palma, and Port Soller among the hardest-hit areas as British, German, and Italian tourists have all been dissuaded from going.
“If you generate negative news, which has repercussions in other countries, tourists opt for other destinations when choosing their holidays,” he said. “We are sending the message that we don’t want tourists and that everything is too crowded.”
Holiday operator Proguies Turístics normally offers around 30 trips per cruise. That number has fallen to 12 to 14.
Its president, Biel Rosales, said: “Tourismphobia and the idea that tourists are not welcome are hurting us greatly.’ He added that high prices and traffic jams are also turning tourists away.
Transport bosses are also concerned. Rafel Roig, president of the transport federation, said: “You can’t send out these messages because people won’t go where they’re not wanted.”