Also a popular holiday spot for Madeirans.
Seven environmental organizations from the island of Mallorca, Spain, have written an open letter, in several languages, asking tourists not to travel to the island, because of mass tourism.
Entitled “Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you”, the open letter is a denunciation of the problems arising from the increase in tourism on this island, with an impact on the ecosystem, the deterioration of public services, gentrification and the increase in the cost of living.
The seven associations and organizations also accuse the hotel industry and politicians of giving more importance to their economic interests to the detriment of the well-being of the island’s inhabitants.
“The local population is fed up and we are no longer hospitable, because they are destroying the land we love; and many residents have to emigrate because the island has become uninhabitable,” reads the open letter.
Therefore, they make an appeal: “It’s time to ask you not to come. We don’t need more tourists, in fact, you are the cause of the problem.”
Last summer, several cities in Spain were the scene of demonstrations warning of the saturation of tourist activity, the depletion of resources and serious impacts on the housing market.
In 2023, Spain was the second most visited tourist destination in the world, after France, and received 86 million foreign visitors, according to official statistics.
The Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, home to around 1.2 million people, received 14.4 million tourists in 2023.