Majorca, once a serene paradise, is grappling with the overwhelming influx of tourists, leaving even the most essential facets of local life altered.
Climent Picornell, a professor emeritus of geography at the University of the Balearic Islands, shared his concerns, lamenting the transformation of cherished places into what he terms “non-places”.
“In Palma there used to be places, in the sense of references, places with history or that you made your own because of their characteristics,” Picornell wrote in the Majorca Daily.
“Now there are non-places: C&A, Zara, the airport, Mercadona, El Corte Inglés, Louis Vuitton. We can go to those places, but you don’t make them yours.”
Picornell’s words highlight the disappearance of traditional businesses, with even daily tasks such as buying tomatoes becoming a challenge.
“My closest store to buy tomatoes is El Corte Inglés,” he expressed, underscoring the profound impact of tourism on the fabric of local life.
The sentiments echoed by Picornell resonate across the Canary Islands, where locals are gearing up for protests against the detrimental effects of mass tourism. Jaime Coello, president of the Telesforo Bravo Foundation, one of the organisations spearheading the protests, emphasised the urgency of addressing the unsustainable tourism model.
“The Canary Islands have a limit,” Coello stressed, as frustrations mount over what protestors deem a “failed tourism and land management model.” The upcoming demonstrations on April 20 are not born out of “tourismophobia,” but rather a collective call for a reevaluation of economic policies that prioritise sustainable growth over unchecked tourism.
The statistics paint a stark picture of the tourism boom’s magnitude. Last year, the Canary Islands witnessed a record-breaking 14.1 million international tourist arrivals, with over a third hailing from Britain alone.
This influx, representing a staggering 2 million increase from 2022, has strained infrastructure, exacerbated environmental concerns, and eroded the quality of life for locals.
