Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain, is drowning in international visitors, and it’s had enough. On Saturday, a group of local protestors gathered in the arrivals terminal of Palma de Mallorca International Airport with signs that read, “One Airline Every Minute is Not Sustainable.” On Sunday, several hotels on Mallorca reported being vandalized with tags like “Tourism Kills the City!” Two local anti-tourist groups, Ciutat and Tot Inclòs, have declared this to be the “Summer of Action” against the influx of tourists to their popular island.
Photo: vulcano/Shutterstock
Mallorca Has Developed a Bad Case of Tourism Phobia
Cada dia, passa una mitjana de 1097 vols per l'aeroport de Palma. No vivim del turisme, el turisme ens mata!
Turisme de masses = precarietat laboral.
Lloguer turístic = habitatge insostenible. pic.twitter.com/8bgSX7UOlD— Endavant OSAN (@Endavant_OSAN) 15 juillet 2018
Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, hosted 10 million visitors last year. An average of 1,094 flights land on the island each day between May and October, and, some days also bring as many as 17,000 cruise ship passengers, explains The Telegraph.
According to fliers distributed at the airport, the Ciutat group says that excessive tourism has created an “extreme environmental crisis,” and “the commercialization of the landscape, environment, and heritage.” Tot Inclòs adds that housing prices in Palma’s Old Town have spiked due to the wealthy tourists staying nearby. The local government has, however, taken some measures to curb the effects of overtourism. Last year they doubled the tourist tax to $4.64 per person per day and heavy restrictions have been placed on short-term listings like Airbnb.
Mallorca is not the only part of Spain fed up with the excessive numbers of visitors. Barcelona has been dealing with anti-tourist sentiments for several years, and, recently, the people of Ibiza have been protesting the impact of overtourism on their island, says The Telegraph. 
H/T: Condé Nast Traveler