Tourists have warned locals to “stop and think” before alienating holidaymakers in response to an open letter from residents begging tourists to stay away. The plea came from several “deeply concerned” groups who are bracing themselves for the “worst summer in the history” of Majorca.
Shared by the Majorca Daily Bulletin the open letter aimed to showcase the “true situation of our island” and to appeal for individual responsibility of visitors amid “non-existent” responsibility from Balearic local authorities and tourist lobbies, which they argue are “solely driven by economic interests”. In response, tourists have issued a warning that Majorca relies on the “economy from tourism to survive” as holidaymakers have “added an awful lot of money to your economy over the 30 years”. One questioned what locals believe will happen to their economy if tourists abandon the holiday hotspot, adding it is “sad British people are no longer welcome”.
The comment read: “We’ve had a holiday villa for over 30 years in Mallorca. It has changed over the years, as everything does, but sadly not for the better.
“It’s sad British people are no longer welcome, even though over the years we’ve ploughed a lot into the island’s economy, and the inhabitants there ought to stop and think what will happen to their economy when people like us stop going?
“What else do they have apart from sun, sand and places to visit, ie a holiday resort. They need the economy from tourism to survive!…so people from Mallorca please stop and think before you alienate us! We’ve added an awful lot of money to your economy over 30 years!
“It’s quite sad really, the older generation there are very friendly, so why are we no longer welcome? We’re friendly to you, but please realise we can always sell up and go elsewhere!”
In 2023, foreign tourists spent a staggering £14.7 billion in the Balearic Islands (including Mallorca), contributing more than 40% to the islands’ total GDP.
One holidaymaker says they wish Majorca well but has “no intention of ever returning to Majorca”.
“I’ll wait for the poor begging letters to start as work and money dry up” the comment ended with.
An NHS worker who has enjoyed years of happy holidays in Santa Ponsa as a child is now considering whether to cancel her “once in a lifetime holiday” with her family.
She said: “Following an awful few years, I had been looking forward to finally spending quality time with my close family in Majorca later this year. Though the letter in today’s Bulletin has both deeply saddened yet also sadly annoyed me.
“What saddens me, as a ‘Brit’, is the notion that all ‘Brits’ have all been tagged within a similar category.”
One person appeared to be on the side of worried locals by commending “the Islands residents for taking a really important stand” and has seen first hand how the “landscapes, beaches, coves have been trampled by endless rows of aging generic concrete hotels, non degradable waste, tacky souvenir shops, and low-quality restaurants”.