'I booked Mallorca holiday but hostile anti-tourism protests mean I'm not going'
The "tourists go home" protests in Mallorca have led to some would-be holidaymakers cancelling their trips.
Mallorca, one of the world's most popular holiday destinations, welcomed a record-breaking 17.8 million visitors in 2023. While it is renowned for the party hotspot of Magaluf, it also offers more tranquil resorts where families can enjoy the sun.
However, the island's popularity has sparked several demonstrations in the main city of Palma. These mirror similar protests across mainland Spain, with locals expressing anger over developers buying properties to rent to tourists, leading to a surge in rental prices.
Now, in many of Spain's tourist hotspots - including Mallorca - graffiti reading "tourists go home" can be seen on walls. Earlier this year, graffiti stating "kill a tourist" was discovered in eastern Mallorca.
READ MORE: 'Mallorca has become hell – I'm sick of naked drunk tourists in my apartment block'
READ MORE: 'We're on holiday in Mallorca – this is how it feels as a tourist after the protests'
In recent weeks, some potential holidaymakers have taken to the r/Mallorca forum on Reddit to share how they've either cancelled a trip to the island, or are contemplating doing so, due to the protests.
One Redditor disclosed that they cancelled a trip planned for this month, opting instead for Madeira in Portugal. They wrote: "The last thing I want to do is to go somewhere I'm not welcome. I've never been to Mallorca, it was on my list, happy to take it off."
An American tourist responded to this post, saying they too were having second thoughts. They had planned a big trip across Europe "with one of the stops being Mallorca for a week". However, they added: "After reading about and seeing the hostility toward tourists, I'm reconsidering and thinking about redirecting that part of my trip to Madeira or Crete." A resident of Palma said in response to this post: "Thank you."
READ MORE: 'I live in Mallorca – this is what locals really think of you when you come on holiday'
In a post on the r/VisitingMallorca forum earlier this year, a third tourist said they were thinking of cancelling a trip. They had heard locals were "unhappy with all of the AirBnB apartments" as well as tourists "not spending money on local bars and restaurants because they're staying in their all-inclusive hotels".
However, others chimed in to say they had nothing to worry about, explaining that the issues are with mass tourism in general, rather than the tourists themselves. One resident said: "Honestly it's fine. I am an immigrant living here and the overtourism is a massive issue [...] Tourists are needed, but what's not needed is the mass tourism."
A second comment read: "I was there last week. Didn't see anything weird. Just try to learn basic commands and greetings in Spanish, it will be appreciated." While a third said: "Don't cancel. Haven't noticed any issues in the several days I've been here this week. Everyone is very pleasant and nice. "