A stunning UK holiday spot has been compared to the overcrowded Canary Islands, with an academic warning that “too many tourists” could make it “worse than Lanzarote and Tenerife”. The Scottish Highlands, known for their breathtaking beauty, are facing a tourism crisis similar to the one that sparked protests in Spain’s popular holiday destinations in mid-April.
Dr Guillem Colom-Montero, a lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Glasgow University, has spent a decade studying Majorca and believes the island’s experience serves as a stark warning. He revealed that many locals on the Spanish island now feel alienated in their own homes due to the influx of tourists.
According to the Birmingham Mail, Dr Colom-Montero explained that tourism is increasingly seen “through narratives and vocabularies of colonialism, invasion, destruction, illness, malaise, and collective trauma”. He added: “This acutely critical perspective suggests a culturally traumatic experience associated to the environmental and sociocultural effects of mass tourism on Majorca.”
He warned that the situation mirrors that of the Canary Islands and Balearics.
Drawing parallels with Scotland, he said: “It is fascinating to see similarities with Scotland, where communities are also facing similar problems and are now beginning to find their voices against mass-tourism and its impact on their local areas.”
This serves as a cautionary tale for UK tourists and staycationers planning to visit the Scottish Highlands.
Issuing a warning amidst the escalating tension across Spain, he commented: “Barra and Majorca are remote, fragile island environments in which rural imaginaries are still very much present in the everyday life experience of the local population.”
In response to the recent outrages over overtourism affecting both the Canaries and Balearics, the lecturer – who has dedicated 10 years to studying Spanish islands – said: “The Majorcan experience should be a cautionary tale for the Highlands and Islands, where overtourism has all too often left communities feeling powerless and overwhelmed.”
