Under the motto ‘Let’s change course, let’s set limits on tourism’ The popular Spanish islands of Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera have joined forces to combat the negative social, employment and environmental impacts of climate change. “devouring tourism.”
Last Friday, the GOB released a statement discussing the initiatives designed for the four islands, including the campaign “Through Menorca, a pact for the economy and sustainability of Menorca,‘which filled the Plaza on June 8 Biosfera de Mahón, as well as the network of social movements of Ibiza and Formentera and other organizations such as the platforms “Change the Course” And ‘Less tourism, more life’ from Mallorca.
The main goal is to start “an intense season of protests” spanning the four islands against the “disastrous consequences” of the current tourism model.
According to the organization, houses, social services, education, natural resources, the sea and beaches have become ‘speculative assets’.
The latest demonstration against tourism occurred over the weekend during the Sant Joan festivities in Ciudadela, Menorca.
Local protesters broke into the festivities and asked tourists from Mallorca and Catalonia to leave their island immediately.
Menorcans wore T-shirts with the slogans ‘Catalans go home’ and ‘Mallorquins go home’ because they consider Sant Joan as a cultural celebration and not as a business. “Sant Joan is not a company; it’s a feeling. Enough overcrowding,” read one banner.
Between June and October 2023 alone Menorca received 1,479,556 tourists, an unbearable number for a small island with only 100,866 inhabitants.
Binibeca Vell, the ‘Mykonos’ of Menorca, has restricted access to the complex for tourists since May 1 to prevent overtourism.
The owners of the 195 homes have decided to only open the gates of the complex from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. from now on.
They say the nearly 1 million tourists who visit their community every year do more harm than good.
Óscar Monge, the president of homeowners, will make a proposal the permanent closure of the complex during the next general meeting on August 10. The properties have lost market value, among other things, because people no longer want to live there.
They will also demand higher compensation from the government to limit the damage caused by tourists.
“We have been a private urbanization for 52 years, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to enjoy a peaceful holiday because we pay dearly for being the most popular tourist attraction in Menorca,” Monge said.
Following the massive demonstrations that took place in Ibiza and Palma on May 24 and 25 to demand the end of mass tourism, Menorcans ‘dressed up as tourists’ to protest at a government location.
Dressed in sandals with socks and lots of sunscreen, residents came to “overcrowd the Council headquarters so that the government understands that this is not the kind of tourism we want.”
