Majorcan business owners have banned holidaymakers from taking pictures as tensions over tourism flare. Frustrated shop owners have begun erecting ‘no photography’ signs in their windows, which prohibit tourists from using their shops as a backdrop for Instagram and never buy a thing. Some have even begun charging influencers to use their shops for an impromptu photoshoot.
Shop owner Vanita, based in the Old Town of Palma, said people “come in without saying hello, stand in front of the mirror and take selfies of their backsides. And then they leave without saying a word”, reports local news outlet Ultima Hora.
They added: “Tourists – whether teenagers or adults – stand in front of the mirror, pout, and film me… They even go into the changing room to take photos. But they never ask for permission.”
Vanita highlighted that some tourists will make content from trying on clothes, but never make a purchase.
However, some shops have taken it one step further than a sign. Thanks to its eye-catching display of colourful buttons and fabrics, the island’s oldest shop, a haberdashery called Ca Donya Angela, has become a popular background for influencers.
The owner Miguel Aguilo has become so fed up of influencers using the shop for pictures that he has placed a collection box on the counter, asking customers to pay €1 if they wish to take pictures.
It is not the first time Majorca has battled with influencers, after a failed scheme ended up with the island’s hidden spots becoming overpopulated.
Local authorities had hoped influencers could help promote quieter spots, so that overcrowded locations would experience some relief. However, the Spanish Balearic Islands stopped using influencers to promote picturesque spots earlier this year.
“It has had the complete opposite effect to what was intended and runs contrary to government policy on containing tourism,” a spokesman for the Balearic tourism department said over the weekend.
One example is Calo des Moro, a small cove on the island, which has capacity for around 100 visitors. After influencers shared the spot, Mayor Maria Pons stated that up to 4,000 people and 1,200 vehicles descended on the cove every day last year.
Last June, more than 300 protesters unfurled a huge banner across the beach that read “let’s occupy our beaches”, while others handed out flyers in English and German to tourists to deter them from heading there.
Local authorities removed all pictures promoting Calo des Moro from its official website.
Overtourism protests have sprung up across the island in recent years, with residents citing major issues with the current tourism model.
Protestors state that unsustainable levels of tourism have driven prices up to unmanageable levels, watered down the island’s culture, and put undue pressure on the infrastructure on the island, which was not built to handle such large volumes of people.
