Anti-tourist messages telling holidaymakers ‘you are not welcome’ have been plastered across a holiday hotspot in Majorca.
The Palma neighbourhood of Santa Calina has reportedly seen doors and windows draped in messages saying ‘we are not your amusement park’.
The messages are the latest incident in a growing trend in the region that has seen protests over tourism.
Some locals argue visitor numbers are so high that they are harming the lives of local people.
Multiple complaints have been raised this year from protesters and campaigners about the impact overcrowding from tourists is having on resources, housing costs and even local businesses – with some concerned that larger firms do well while smaller ones struggle from an influx of tourism.
Now the popular destination of Santa Colina has become the latest spot in Majorca to experience tensions over the issue of tourism and its impact on local communities, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports. The messages left on doors and windows state: “You are not welcome.
“Mass tourism expels neighbours from their homes, wastes necessary resources, eliminates neighbourhood culture, kills local commerce, increases prices only creates precarious work and destroys heritage. We are not your amusement park.”
The site reports that one among many messages was found by a local Swedish resident. The area is reportedly popular with foreign tourists, many of them from Sweden.
Last month, locals angry about overcrowding from tourists descended on a well-known beach in Majorca as they told holidaymakers ‘go home’.
They said they wanted a limit on visitor numbers to help deal with overcrowding and affordability issues.
In addition, a number of protests have been held recently across the island that have urged action over mass tourism.
A similar pattern of activity has been seen in Spanish vacation hotspots like the Canary Islands and Ibiza.
Earlier this year, the BBC reported on a local chef priced out of the rental market who was being forced to live in his car. Rent prices have seen significant increases since Covid as pent-up demand was released after lockdowns ended.
Protesters say tourist spots can use up to six times more water than local areas due to pools and large hotels. One campaign group in the Canary Islands summed up the feeling of many in April at a protest by saying: “We’ve reached the point where the balance between the use of resources and the welfare of the population has broken down, especially over the last year.”