Majorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands, is a favourite holiday hotspot for tourists all over the world. It is known for its beach resorts, coves and crystal clear waters.
Brits in particular are a fan of travelling to Spain with flight times from the UK less than three hours. However, the impact of mass tourism on some of Majorca’s iconic landscapes is starting to get reactions not just from locals, but from visitors too.
This is what recently happened to Olly Bowman, a well-known content creator, who is documenting his holiday on the Spanish island. The tourist was surprised by the overcrowding in a picturesque corner of the Majorcan coast.
He shared a video on Instagram, where he announced that he had arrived at the “best beach in all of Majorca.” He was floored when he came across a packed beach with hardly any space to lie down or walk, with tourists taking up every square metre of sand.
He said: “There is zero space on the sand.” The influencer then took a dip in the sea and initially described it as “perfect temperature” before admitting it was actually “a bit chillier” than he expected.
Bowman shared that to enjoy the beach, he had to improvise. He had found a small area to leave his things, but had to sit up with his feet resting on a rock as it was “just so crowded.”
The Instagram clip quickly went viral and many users, especially residents of Majorca, asked him to remove the name of the beach from the description. They argued that naming the beach will only make the tourist saturation in the area worse.
One viewer commented: “Beautiful! But if you name the beaches they will even be more crowded.”
Another added: “Mass tourism in Majorca is destroying fragile areas that should be protected. Please refrain from sharing the names of these beaches and help us preserve them as much as possible.”
The influencer reacted in a respectful manner and did remove the name of the beach from the post’s caption. In the comment section he said: “Everyone requested I remove the name of the beach, very fair.
“I do like to think of myself as someone who can show others cool spots to travel and visit but I see how in this circumstance it’s more detrimental than good, so I agree, and have removed the name from the caption.”
He has been applauded and thanked for this gesture by residents. One replied: “We appreciate it! I’m Mallorcan, enjoy our island!”
Others responded with “thank you”, “thanks” and “gracias.”
Tourist pressure on the island’s beaches is one of the big challenges it faces in summer, as another Instagram user remarked: “Thanks for showing reality.”