Block capitals were used to write the sentence in a black marker pen on a crude wooden placard. “Everyone you look is foreign,” it stated.
At the beginning of the summer tourist season, on the final weekend of May, police in Majorca reported that 10,000 protesters had taken to the streets of Palma. Their message was that residents of Palma were finding life to be unbearable due to tourists.
However, why does it appear that there is now such a strong sense of grievance in locations where high numbers of tourists have been the norm for decades?
It appears that the solution is nuanced. Undoubtedly, a hangover from Covid is a factor. However, it is also true that a growing number of individuals worldwide now possess the means to travel.
This raises important questions about the future of tourism.
Tourism is expected to reach records in 2024, exceeding the previous peak in 2019. After the epidemic, it seems that the travel and tourism sector has returned with a vengeance, dispelling any last worries about the safety of travel.
Pent-up demand following the epidemic has caused rents in Spain’s Balearic Islands, which include Majorca, to soar, so locals claim they are being priced out of living in their own hometowns. The tale of an Ibiza chef who has spent the previous three years living in his car has been covered by the news. Police, medics, and nurses are reportedly having financial difficulties.
