The starting gun has been loaded but, in the case of the UK in particular, it has yet to be fired to mark the start of the overseas summer holidays.
As I’ve mentioned before, there are many local residents who are enjoying the lack of tourists, fewer cars on the roads and allegedly more space on the beaches but over the past few weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that we, the residents, don’t fully appreciate what wonders we have in Majorca, not to mention across the Balearics. So fierce has been the flood of domestic visitors to the tiny island of Formentera that strict controls on vehicles and access to beaches have been introduced.
And, early this week I was surprised at the amount of plastic waste in the crystal clear waters in Illetas.
Could it be that the coastline is now ringed with private yachts?
I don’t know, I wouldn’t like to point the finger at anyone in particular but with all three of the main beaches in Illetas having been closed off by the police because they were “full” on Tuesday afternoon - who is making the mess?
The Balearic population is a hugely privileged one considering the environment and location within which we live and so much has been said about protecting the islands, sustainability and all that. So why, I wonder, are we not treating it with due care?