Yet another car park has been created from a picturesque orchard on the main road in Soller and while many in the valley’s tourism industry sigh with relief, others who don’t profit from the holiday season, are incandescent with rage. Meanwhile, a new traffic system has been created in the heart of the town which largely excludes visitors, with many parking spaces converted to resident-only spaces. This has maddened café and restaurant owners relying on tourist trade, but it was the best the local council could do to appease furious locals.
One of the biggest problems in Soller is the lack of parking for people who actually live there. The other is hideous traffic which has been getting worse every year. I dislike the creation of more car parks but sometimes it’s a necessary evil if it eases traffic flow. All the same, did we really need a new one?
Personally, I think it’s time to pull up the drawbridge and if I’m honest, like many locals, I favour a return to the toll tunnel. At least this would deter the rubbernecker, selfie brigade who clog up the roads while touring the town and port slowly by car, taking images and driving off without getting out of the vehicle or contributing to the local economy.
Those cultured visitors who genuinely want to experience our historic town and port, will park on the main road, spend some money in the town, be polite to locals and leave, having had a great time. There are the holidaymakers to be cultivated, not the vacuous tribe who want an image of a touristy orange ice-cream concoction which costs a fortune and which they don’t even drink, and all for acquiring likes on TikTok or Instagram.
The seeds of resentment have taken hold in our town with sinister anti-tourist graffiti on walls and a growing loathing for second home owners and those who rent out vacational properties. This is about the haves and have-nots, those who profit handsomely from the season, while others who were born in the town, cannot afford to rent or buy a home. Tourism is needed for the local economy but so is caution. Pushing the locals too far will have consequences, and killing the golden goose will prove the least of the problem.