Angry backlash on Majorca as locals vent fury that holiday isle is being ‘swamped’ by Brits who are shunning terror-hit alternatives
As UK avoids terror-hit holiday destinations, Spain is hit by a flood of tourists - causing anger among residents
SWELTERING sunshine, clear blue skies and an endless flow of tourists . . . it sounds like the perfect summer for a Spanish city where thousands of jobs rely on holidaymakers spending.
But as the stream of British visitors to Majorca’s capital Palma rapidly turns into a flood, locals say the dream has become a nightmare — with tourists branded “terrorists” who have brought the city to its knees.
A series of inflammatory slogans have been daubed over walls in the Old Town, including: “Tourist you are the terrorist.”
Others included: “Tourist go home,” written on the four-star Palma Suites Aparthotel. It is the fourth time the upmarket hotel has been vandalised within a few months.
Last week figures revealed that 15million Brits will have visited Spain this summer.
The rise in tourist numbers has been attributed to holidaymakers shunning terror-hit nations in favour of safer Spain.
It is believed this year will see five million fewer people visiting Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia because of the ongoing unrest.
Tourism to Turkey was earlier this year estimated at 50 PER CENT down on 2014.
Meanwhile, more than 67million tourists will visit Spain this summer — a country with a population of just 47million.
Three million Brits have opted for the island of Majorca to provide their sun, sand, and sangria.
But Spanish public opinion has shifted so strongly that locals have compared British tourists to the IS terrorists indirectly responsible for boosting Palma’s economy.
Margalida Ramis, 39, spokesman for environmental group GOB, told The Sun that many locals now feel crowded out of their own town — which she believes explains the recent “terrorist” graffiti.
She explained: “While some people are taking advantage of the tourism boom, many locals are not happy at the very sudden change to their home city.
“Equating tourists with terrorists is a symptom of the frustration caused by this very sudden change.
“Many of the local shops have closed down and been replaced by souvenir shops. This has also made the whole area seem artificial.
“The Old Town now is becoming like a theme park for tourists, like Disneyland, rather than the living city it once was.
“This is a real shame for the local people and there is a lot of anger.
Speaking after the recent incidents of vandalism against the Aparthotel, a representative for the £250-a-night accommodation said: “We’re obviously concerned because this has been the fourth incident.
“On two previous occasions bags filled with paint were thrown at the facade.
“We have the feeling that there may be a small group who feel unhappy with the effect of tourism on the area for whatever reason and are trying to make their feelings known.”
The high-walled stone streets around El Seu Cathedral in Palma are impassable as sightseers crowd into souvenir stores. The city's highly rated restaurants are also packed.
In the corner of a crammed bar in the city’s historic Old Town, one local admits: “People have started moving away because they can’t stand how busy the city is.
“You can hardly live in Palma these days, especially over the summer months. It’s tearing the heart out of the city.
“We want fewer Brits here. Let them go somewhere else.”
Throughout the summer months, 10.30am almost every day marks the moment hordes of visitors begin to disembark their cruise ships, adding their numbers to those staying in hotels around the city.
Streaming down the coastal road from the port, tour parties and small groups alike stop in at La Seu cathedral.
They snap a selfie before making their way to shopping hotspots such as designer outlet Louis Vuitton and Swarovski or a host of souvenir shops.
As a result, shopping districts Passeig des Born, Avinguda Jaume III and others are heaving, with many smaller roads almost totally blocked by the volume of people.
Palma-born Adrian, in his twenties, admits: “Recently my friends and I have decided there’s no point going out on the town. It’s not possible to have a quiet drink any more.
“Everywhere is full, and in any case many of the local bars are now targeting tourists rather than the Spanish.
“Instead we just go to each other’s houses for drinks.
“If we could limit the number of tourists or spread them out over the course of the year — that would be ideal.”
Some locals have pushed for a cap on tourist numbers. They are keen to make the city less congested for pedestrians — and to stop the endless stream of rental cars which bring every rush hour to a standstill.
Others have called for action to stop former family homes being turned into holiday lets.
Luis Clar, president of the El Seu Neighbourhood Association, told The Sun: “The big problem is the number of huge cruise ships which dock in Palma for the day — sometimes seven ships with 4,000 passengers on each.
"There are Britons as well as Germans, Russians and Scandinavians.
“Most local residents are aware how important tourism is for the local economy. But a small minority feel the tourists are taking over and disrupting everyday lives.”
Yet holidaymakers’ cash has been the main factor in getting the local economy back on its feet after the 2007 financial crash.
Across the Balearic region, half of all economic output — and a third of all jobs — rely on the tourism industry.
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Francisco Marin, president of the Platja de Palma Hotel Association, revealed last week that August has been the most profitable month for Palma’s hotel trade since 2004, while this month is predicted to be the best September in the region’s history.
Marin added: “All hotels are booked from Thursdays to Sundays throughout the month.”
At the Hotel Cort restaurant in the centre of Palma, just a few minutes’ walk from the 800-year-old La Seu Cathedral, getting a table for dinner is virtually impossible.
While flitting between tables and switching from one European language to another, restaurant manager Felix Domingues, 44, said: “This year has been amazing for trade — it’s almost too busy.
“Day and night, we are packed with Brits, Germans, Swedish. Of course, I hope it continues for as long as possible.”
Majorca is not the only part of Spain to have confronted similar issues.
Last year anti-tourist protests were organised in Barcelona, with residents demonstrating against the sheer volume of sightseers.
But of particular local concern in drought-prone Palma is the demand the booming visitor population places on the water supply — with measures already in place to conserve what little remains.
Resident Javier Jiminez, 51, said: “There are huge concerns about the water supplies. There has been little rain this year.
"The bigger influx of holidaymakers is not helping. Normally at this time of the year, the reservoirs are about 53 per cent full. This year they are down to 32 per cent and people are starting to worry.”
But despite such concerns, there are no signs that Brits are being put off from flocking to Spain’s sunny shores.
Glazier Peter Harriman, 45, from Goole, East Yorks, is on holiday with wife Sarah.
He said: “We’re having an amazing time. The weather is beautiful and the locals have been nothing but welcoming.
"We’ve certainly not seen any anti-tourist graffiti or got any sense that we are not welcome. In fact, we are likely to be back next year.”
But with emotions running so high in the Spanish heat, it remains to be seen whether the summer of 2017 will still see Palma and its residents offering such a warm welcome.
DISCOURAGING TOURISTS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC
BY LISA MINOT, TRAVEL EDITOR
IT’S no surprise a small but vocal group of Majorcans feel suffocated by the millions of tourists from the UK and elsewhere.
Terrorism worries saw a 50 per cent drop in bookings to Turkey this summer.
And with advice against all travel to Egypt and Tunisia still in place there have been few options for Brits looking for their fortnight of fun in the Mediterranean sun.
While there are definitely environmental factors that should cause concern, the simple fact is the Spanish need tourists for their livelihoods – and the vast majority will continue to welcome them.
Discouraging Brits from visiting with this inflammatory vandalism could prove catastrophic for millions of Spanish.
