Carrying model planes and homemade cruise ships, protesters marched through the streets of the capital Mallorca with banners reading "no mass tourism" and "stop private jets".
Protest in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, July 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS
Anti-tourism activists have staged a series of protests this year in Barcelona and other popular tourist destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and the Canary Islands, arguing that tourists drive up housing costs and make it impossible for residents to live in city centres.
About 10,000 people attended a protest in Mallorca on Sunday, according to police. Some tourists supported the protest while others were upset.
Pere Joan Femenia, representative of the organization Menys Turisme, Mas Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) - the organizer of the protest in Mallorca, said protesters want to reduce the number of tourists on the island.
“Mass tourism makes it impossible for locals to live on their islands because of high rents. Tourists fill up the beaches and put pressure on public services in the summer,” he said.
"We want to reduce mass tourism and prohibit non-residents from buying homes for use only a few months a year or for speculation."
After Catalonia, the Balearic Islands were the most visited region last year with 14.4 million visitors, according to Spain's National Statistics Institute.
Tourism generates 45% of the Balearic Islands' gross domestic product, according to figures from the Exceltur organization.
In the first quarter of this year, 16.1 million people visited Spain, up 18% over the same period last year.
Tourists spent 109 billion euros ($118.56 billion) in Spain last year, compared with 63.5 billion euros in France.
Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/demonstration-of-transparency-of-the-travel-tour-in-mallorca-country-post304365.html
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