An “urgent” reduction in the number of flights to and from Majorca has been demanded as the island sits on the brink of collapse.
There have also been renewed calls for the regional government to participate in airport management.
“Mallorca is no longer overcrowded, Mallorca is experiencing collapse,” said Ferran Rosa of the opposition party Més, insisting that the citizens of the Balearic islands have a right to a decent life.
He called for an “urgent” reduction in the number of flights arriving at their airports in an attempt to get control of the increasing number of tourists. “We do not live on tourism, we live poorly on tourism and it is essential to adopt urgent and forceful measures to reduce tourism today,” he added, “You cannot have airports that, year after year, break records.”
This comes ahead of the anti-tourism protests which are expected to be held on the island later this week.
Més will soon present a motion in the Balearic parliament to urge the Spanish government to both reduce the number of flights and end private ones. They also wish to halt the projects currently aimed at expanding the islands’ airports.
On X, MÉS per Mallorca said: “We present a proposal to @ParlamentIB for: Urgent reduction of flights and passenger arrivals. Put an end to private flights. Stop works and airport expansion projects. Manage ports and airports from here Mallorca is collapsed and it is urgent to decrease and do it today.”
Rosa also attacked Aena, the airports authority, for thinking only of dividends, “20 percent of its profits come from the Balearic airports. Enough is enough.”
Last week, Marga Prohens, the President of the Balearic Islands said in parliament that she consistently defended the idea of limiting tourism growth in the region, adding that her government was committed to adding value to the industry rather than volume.
Such calls come as concerns continue to grow across Spanish holiday hotspots over the negative impact of mass tourism, including increased property prices and damage to the environment. In April, anti-tourism protests were held in the Canary Islands, with new demonstrations planned in Ibiza and Mallorca for 24th and 25th May respectively.
These protests coincide with the UK half term for many schools across the UK, with the UK Foreign Office advising travellers to “follow the advice of police and local authorities” as while most will be peaceful, there is a risk of unrest or violence.
The organisers of the Majorca protest said: “On the 25th of May we have to take to the streets. To say ENOUGH to tourist overcrowding, to say ENOUGH to the destruction of the territory, to say ENOUGH to the lack of protection suffered by the people who live on the islands.”