'Mallorca has become hell – I'm sick of naked drunk tourists in my apartment block'

'Mallorca has become hell – I'm sick of naked drunk tourists in my apartment block'
-Credit: (Image: AFP via Getty Images)


A police officer in Mallorca has said tourists are stopping him from doing his job properly. Other residents say the island is turning into a "hellhole" due to holidaymakers.

There have been several anti-tourism protests in Spain recently, both on the mainland and the Balearic Islands. Locals are incensed about how developers purchasing properties for the tourism sector has resulted in a surge in rent prices. However, there are other ways in which tourism has impacted their lives as well, and locals have taken to the r/Mallorca forum on Reddit in recent weeks to voice these complaints.

One Redditor revealed they were contemplating selling their flat on the island because "it has become a hellhole". They explained "investors" have gradually bought most of the flats in their building, meaning the majority are now rented out to tourists.

They continued: "Being on the ground floor, I've been able to make some adjustments so I can come and go through my garden. I'm sick of running into half naked, drunken strangers in the hallway. My home has been turned into a hotel. The pool is unusable."

More than 17 million people visited Mallorca last year (file)
More than 17 million people visited Mallorca last year (file) -Credit:AFP via Getty Images

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However, they added: "I don't blame the tourists, it's the investors who've shown no respect for residents. We are also being priced out of restaurants who are marketing themselves for tourists."

A second Redditor shared a similar experience, stating: "My nine apartment building has been turned into a hotel. I have no neighbours anymore. There's no respect for my home."

Another poster identified themselves as a cop in Mallorca, and explained how the issues caused by tourists are affecting their ability to perform their duties. They expressed: "As a law enforcement officer, sometimes I feel my work is purely to solve tourists' problems, overloading us with work without being able to aid the locals as effectively as we would like."

A fourth Mallorca resident drew parallels between the situation there and Hawaii, where authorities previously requested a reduction in incoming flights due to similar issues. "As in Mallorca, dependence on tourism has led to an increase in housing costs, job insecurity, and an overexploitation of natural resources, with the local population feeling marginalised for the benefit of visitors and external interests," they commented. They also lamented that tourism has resulted in a "loss of cultural identity".