The Balearics is facing a number of serious challenges, many of them as a result of the region’s own success as a world leading tourist destination, and they need to be dealt with - but in a constructive environment. The buzz word is ‘anti’ and this is generating a highly negative vibe and fueling the more radical factions of society, such as the anti-tourism movement Arran. Its latest stunt has been to spray paint a number of hire cars with anti-tourism slogans.
We have the anti-cruise ship movement, the anti-car hire body, groups which are anti-tourism in general on the grounds of the region being saturated during the summer and unable to handle the influx of visitors and, on the whole, the local government tends to agree, along with a growing percentage of the fixed population. Fine, I get it, it is hard not to living in Palma.
However, I think it’s time for some reverse psychology before all this ‘anti’ talk gets out of control and sends the wrong message to the rest of the world. Firstly, I think the local authorities need to start getting seriously tough with the likes of Arran and secondly, start transmitting a message that they love and cherish the Balearics and want to protect and preserve it but without the negativity.
The government needs a different mindset, it needs to change its rhetoric and transmit a message that we are all in this together, so let’s work together for the good of the Balearics, its residents and visitors.
All this ‘anti’ talk is just encouraging more negativity.