The British media has descended on Mallorca to cover this weekend’s beach protest against mass tourism and foreign tourists in Mallorca may get a bit of a shock tomorrow when thousands of local residents have been called on to storm the beaches a part of the ongoing protest against the lack of sensible tourism policies to tackle the impact of mass tourism on the island.
Protest group Mallorca Platja Tour took to social media, posting on X, formerly Twitter: “We urge residents to fill the beaches of Mallorca as a demonstration against overcrowding.” Ever since last Saturday’s 10,000-strong demonstration through Palma, the British and international media has been full of reports about the protest and its potential impact on the island’s tourist industry and journalists are on the island trying to get to the bottom of what is an extremely complex issue.
The first beach demonstration this Saturday will take place in Colònia de Sant Jordi, although people have been urged to join in on beaches across the island, in what they intend to be a preparation for the big protest that will take place on Sunday June 16. And, adding further fuel to the debate, today, a large group of pink ‘flamingo’ lilos were spotted on the beach and in the sea off Arenal near Palma.
The Facebook group ‘No eres del Arenal sino...’ posted several images showing several people enjoying the inflatable objects, as well as a large handful of flamingos scattered on and around the beach.
At the moment, it is not known how long this idea has been running, but judging by its success it is likely to be active throughout the summer - much to the delight of local resident beachgoers.
“This Saturday, 1st June, we will meet to organise the big move for Sunday 16th June. You are welcome to contribute your ideas!”, they explained in a tweet under the hashtag #OcupemLesNostresPlatges (Let’s Occupy our beaches),” organisers have said on social media.