British tourists who regularly visit Majorca have begun to abandon the holiday island in favour of more welcoming destinations. This news comes as residents from a town on the island have admitted that they “scared tourists away” amid overtourism protests that have led to a steep decline in tourist numbers.
A wave of protests across Spain, including Majorca, has seen tourists told to “go home” and that “your paradise is our nightmare” by angry locals who have found major faults with the island’s current tourism model. This model, residents argue, prioritises holidaymakers over residents who are now suffering from unaffordable housing and overwhelmed infrastructure. However, in blaming foreign visitors for the housing crisis and the strain on public services, some residents in the Soller Valley – which relies on tourism for its economy – are now worried that the message may have been headed.
One hotel owner told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “We’ve scared the tourists away. I wouldn’t want to spend my holidays in a place where I don’t feel welcome.”
It appears that this fear among Majorcan residents has become the reality for Express readers, too. One reader wrote: My daughter and her partner are in the lucky position of being able to holiday in Majorca three or four times a year. They love it there. They were contemplating buying a retirement apartment (for the future).
“Now with the protests, all this has changed. They not only cancelled their September holiday, but also their Christmas and New Year visit and are now looking to Crete or Corfu, places which STILL welcome and appreciate tourists.”
This reader was not alone in favouring Greece, either. Another wrote: “I went to Rhodes this year and had a wonderful week. Locals were very friendly and welcoming. Much preferred it to Spain.”
Others revealed that being made to feel unwelcome by locals would be the deciding factor in holidaying in that destination. A third Express reader wrote: “If I went to any country for a holiday and was confronted with protests like those that demonstrated in Mallorca, that would be it for me. I’d never go there again. Mallorca is definitely off my list of places to go to now.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not on my own regarding my disgust at this behaviour towards paying tourists. I hope plenty of people whose income in these holiday spots abroad relies on the tourists who choose to visit, read this and take note!”
Another reader warned Majorcan locals to “be careful what you wish for”, adding that “actions have consequences”.
“People won’t go where they’re not wanted and visitors tend to eat out and use local attractions more than residents do.”
Indeed, a waiter at a local restaurant in the Soller Valley that relies on tourism revealed that the region has struggled to attract visitors in the numbers of previous years: “Except on weekends or rainy days, there’s not much going on here; we’re just waiting around, and it’s been like this since May.”
