Parts of Majorca have been deserted by visitors following a string of overtourism protests on the once popular Balearic island. Tourism officials and locals alike have noted a drop in holidaymakers, particularly from the UK and Germany, as the anti-tourist sentiment spreads. Journalist Humphrey Carter said parts of the Spanish island were the “quietest I’ve seen it all summer to date”, despite it being in the middle of the summer holidays.
He wrote for the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “Over the past few months I have been to some of the most emblematic beaches in Mallorca from Illetas to Sa Rapita and beyond and I have yet to have come across problems of mass tourism and overcrowding. In fact, quite the opposite. Last Saturday afternoon in Illetas it was the quietest I’ve seen it all summer to date and we are at the peak of high season.”
The island’s capital Palma, the site of many overtourism demonstrations since last summer, has also seen an exodus of visitors according to Carter
He continued: “Where are they all and what are they doing? Because I am neither seeing them on the beaches nor wining and dining in the evenings, certainly not in Palma and other hot spots, as the restaurant sector has pointed out.”
This comes after associations representing restaurants, nightlife, and shops in tourist resorts have warned that visitor spending is falling amid an underwhelming season in the Spanish island.
They blame the increasing anti-tourism sentiment for the decline, with CAEB Restaurants Association president Juanmi Ferrer saying these messages “are scaring visitors away”.
Pedro Oliver, the president of the College of Tour Guides, said his excursion sales have fallen 20% this summer, with the worst-affected areas being Valldemossa, Palma, and Port Soller.
He warned that foreign tourists from countries like Britain, Germany, and Italy have got the impression that Majorca is “too crowded”, therefore choosing other destinations for their holidays.
In Benidorm, pictures of empty bars and rather quiet beaches have also emerged. It is reported that it is the first decline in visitor numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic.