Last summer, Spain erupted with a series of protests driven by the soaring tourist numbers which protestors say is putting a strain on their daily lives. As the Mediterranean country prepares itself for another summer of disruption a Majorcan tourist has issued a damning warning to not “bite the hand that feeds you” in a furious open letter.
The Brit who has been holidaying on the island twice a year for the past 30 years accused Majorca of behaving ungratefully towards tourists who have pumped money into the islands “tourism, infrastructure, government, hoteliers pockets etc for the best part of 40 years”. In a letter sent to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, Edward Fox said not only is the island being “non tourist friendly” but it also has become drastically more expensive over the past five-to-six years.
Mr Fox said the increasingly high prices means Majorca “is not affordable now for most Brits” and as a result many holidaymakers are looking at alternative options including Thailand and Vietnam. The possible loss in business to the island ultimately means they will lose out to “south east Asia countries”.
He also described the tourist tax – up to approximately €4 per person per night, with the proposal of an additional 10% tax – as “incredible” and “unaffordable for most British tourists coming to Mallorca”.
The long term Majorcan tourist issued a warning that “tourists do bite back” adding that he and “many hundreds of thousands of tourists have bitten back” and will take their trade elsewhere.
“So go ahead Mallorca, bite the hand that has came to this island put so much money into your tourism, infrastructure, government , hoteliers pockets etc etc for the best part of 40 years, us tourists Do Bite Back, and me personally and many hundreds of thousands of tourists have bitten back”, said Mr Fox.
He added: “As a seasoned traveller to Mallorca it is getting far to expensive and non tourist friendly and every thing is so not worth visiting or holidaying in this island until your Balearic Government and the people of Mallorca realise this.”
According to the local news outlet, around fifty residents in Soller, near the west coast of Majorca, recently staged a flash protest in the square against overcrowding.
Although the protest was relatively unnoticed some foreigners reportedly confronted residents even calling them racist for referring to tourists as ‘guiris’. The word “guriri” strictly speaking applies to English-speaking foreigners, like “gringo”, but has also come to be applied to northern European tourists, even all foreigners.
The protest saw demonstrators wear T-shirts with the slogan ‘Miris on miris, tot són guiris’ (Wherever you look, they’re all gringos*), which included the image of a sterotypical tourist, leading some to describe the initiative as ‘tourism-phobic’.
In a statement, the residents said that “we want to raise awareness of the problems that affect us on a daily basis, with a touch of provocation: we don’t want to have to leave Soller to be able to live with dignity”.