Holidaymakers ditching Mallorca trips after 'go home' protests and 'hostility'
The ongoing "tourists go home" protests in Mallorca have led to a number of would-be visitors scrapping their travel plans.
Known globally as a prime holiday spot, the Balearic island welcomed an unparalleled 17.8 million tourists in 2023. With hotspots like Magaluf offering lively nightlife and other regions providing peaceful family retreats, Mallorca has long been a draw for sun-seekers.
However, its rise in popularity hasn't come without issues. In Palma, the capital city, locals have been demonstrating against property developers driving up rental costs due to tourist accommodation demands.
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This sentiment has spilled out into the streets, with disdainful slogans such as "tourists go home" now adorning walls across Spanish holiday destinations, including Mallorca. Moreover, disconcerting messages like "kill a tourist" have been found graffitied in the island's east earlier this year.
These protests are having a tangible effect; travellers on the r/Mallorca subreddit have voiced concerns, with some cancelling or considering cancelling their trips. One such Reddit user expressed their decision to forgo a planned holiday to Mallorca this month in favour of Madeira, Portugal, saying: "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 also voiced their concerns about visiting Mallorca due to perceived hostility towards tourists. They had planned a grand European tour "with one of the stops being Mallorca for a week". However, they're now considering changing their plans and visiting Madeira or Crete instead, after reading about the negative attitudes towards tourists. A local resident responded to this post with a simple: "Thank you."
Earlier this year, another tourist expressed similar concerns on the r/VisitingMallorca forum, contemplating cancelling their trip. They had heard that locals were disgruntled with the influx of AirBnB apartments and tourists who weren't spending money in local bars and restaurants, opting to stay in their all-inclusive hotels instead.
However, other users reassured them that the issue was not with individual tourists but with mass tourism as a whole. One local resident explained: "Honestly it's fine. I am an immigrant living here and the over-tourism is a massive issue [...] Tourists are needed, but what's not needed is the mass tourism."
Another 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 user added: "Don't cancel. Haven't noticed any issues in the several days I've been here this week. Everyone is very pleasant and nice. ".