Citizens' initiative calls for the occupancy of Ballermann
Not least due to the flood of tourists on the island, apartments on Mallorca are becoming increasingly expensive. The Mallorcans are protesting with various protest actions. Some locals are now calling for a demonstration of a special kind.
A citizens' initiative wants to protest against mass tourism on Mallorca again. It called in social networks for a symbolic occupation of a beach bar on the so-called Ballermann. The protest by "Mallorca Platja Tour" at the beach bar "Balneario 6", which is particularly popular among German tourists, is to take place on Sunday between 11:00 and 13:00.
This is the third such action by the initiative on the Spanish holiday island. However, not many participants are expected. At their first two symbolic "occupations" at the end of May at the beach Sa Ràpita and in mid-June at the so-called Instagram cove Calò des Moro, only a few dozen people were gathered. At the Ballermann on Sunday, the demonstrators are likely to be clearly outnumbered by the German tourists.
On the other hand, many more people took part in the two large protests in Palma this year. Tens of thousands took to the streets of the Mallorca capital against mass tourism on both occasions. One of the main reasons for the discontent is the housing shortage caused by holiday rentals. In addition, traffic jams, noise and dirt are fraying nerves.
Not everyone benefits from tourism revenues
On the Balearic Islands, whose main island is Mallorca, live around 1.2 million locals. Last year, they were visited by 18 million tourists, of which 4.6 million were from Germany and 3.4 million from the UK. This means that there were roughly 15 tourists for every local resident.
For Mallorca, tourism is vital. The industry accounts for 45 percent of the island's economic output. Demonstrators complain that only a minority benefits, while the majority in the sector receives low wages that are not enough to pay for the increasingly expensive apartments.
The Mallorcans continue to protest against the impact of mass tourism on their island, with a planned symbolic occupation of a popular beach bar by the "Mallorca Platja Tour" initiative. Despite the low expected turnout at their previous actions, the sentiment against tourism-related issues such as housing shortages and environmental impacts remains strong, as evidenced by the large protests in Palma this year.
