German tour operator TUI’s director of corporate and external affairs, Thomas Ellerbeck, met with the President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, and the tourism minister, Jaume Bauzá, to discuss the issues facing the tourism industry in Majorca and the rest of the archipelago. During the meeting on Wednesday (July 16), Mr Ellerbeck attributed protests to what he and TUI believe to be the archipelago’s real issue.
According to the director, the housing problems faced by the middle and working classes in Majorca are the main drive behind the protests. He said that he understood the problems faced by many residents who “can’t afford housing”, adding that the lack of affordable housing may be linked to holiday rentals. “But that’s not the type of tourism we support; our customers stay in hotels.”
Mr Ellerbeck highlighted that tourists who arrive in Majorca on package holidays with operators like TUI are transferred to their hotels via coaches, thereby minimising the impact they may have on traffic congestion. He said this was a huge contrast with independent visitors who usually rent private vehicles.
He said that his understanding of the cause of the protests came as a result of meetings held with representatives from political, business and civil society representatives, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
TUI met with the Forum for Civil Society as part of these meetings, which comprises of groups crucial to the current tourism model, which aims to improve life in Majorca. The forum had walked away from the Balearic Government’s sustainability pact – aimed at reducing reliance on mass tourism and promoting a more environmentally friendly and socially responsible model – having argued that it was not getting a fair hearing.
Last month, angry locals took to the streets of Palma de Mallorca and other cities across Spain as part of the ongoing anti-mass tourism protests. Activists claimed that more than 30,000 people took part in the demonstration, where placards read: “Tourists go home”, “Majorca is not for sale” and “Majorca is not your cash cow…go home”.
Despite the continuation of such messages protesting overtourism and overcrowding, Mr Ellerbeck was of the view that tourists are welcome in Majorca.
“This is what I hear when I speak with all organisations on the island, including representatives of civil society,” he added.