Water pistols may do nicely
As a prelude to this Sunday's protest in Palma, some fifty or so people took part in a 'marxa guiri' last weekend. Guiri is a colloquialism to refer to a foreign tourist, and the march was one for which the protesters dressed as tourists. They had suitcases, a couple of them wore socks with sandals, thus making the protest laudable, given that socks with sandals are laughable. Gentrification, Airbnb, hoteliers, hire cars - there were slogans for the whole tourism nine yards. But there were only fifty of them. Many more demonstrators are anticipated on Sunday.
The Balearic government hasn't had much to say about the protests other than expressing respect for the right to protest and asking those taking part to be peaceful. Will the police therefore be keeping a special weather eye out for water pistols on Sunday? As Mallorca may be gripped by a heatwave, water pistols wouldn't go amiss. No one would surely mind.
So many words, so much vagueness
To compensate for government lack of words, there is no shortage of volunteers voicing their opinions. Such as the mighty World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which believes that authorities should be involving residents to ensure coexistence with tourists and prevent social rejection of mass tourism. Which is sort of what the Balearic government is attempting to do. But what can be done at a practical level? Ah well, says the council, there is a need for 'flow management' policies, e.g. diverting attention to less crowded places. Yes, which will then make these places more crowded.
There is "a lack of a governance structure at a local level", observed WTTC senior vice-president Virginia Messina. This is largely the reason for dissatisfaction, she suggested. Yes, and .... ? What governance should there be? An immediate 50% reduction of tourist numbers and a commandeering of hotels to convert these into social rent accommodation at 50 euros a week? The vagueness of some of this talk really doesn't help anyone.
Even more cruising in the Balearics?
Meanwhile, the European director of the CLIA Cruise Line International Association, Marie-Caroline Laurent, said that operators will be studying the possibility of altering itineraries if there are protests at destinations.
At the same time, the CLIA national director in Spain, Alfredo Serrano, stressed the importance of investing in infrastructure and tourism promotion in order to increase the attractiveness of destinations. Operators, he explained, are making efforts by scheduling cruises in places in Spain such as La Coruña, Cartagena and the Balearics. Eh? The Balearics? The same Balearics where there has been the odd protest. Weird.
Influenced by rain
While elements of the media appear to be relishing the prospect of Mallorca losing tourists on account of protests, they would have been mortified to learn that bookings (by all nationalities) for the Balearics were up 16.5% week-on-week and by comparison with 2023. This came from Palma-based analysts TravelgateX, though it has to be said that these weekly comparisons aren't that consequential in terms of the overall picture, while another set of data suggested that UK staycations have dropped below what they were in 2023. Yes, and it keeps on raining in the UK.
Magalluf traditions
Those media elements would have been looking forward to some good old-fashioned Magalluf trouble. What could have been better than England v. Spain. Trouble with added football hooliganism for somehow also managing - as was the case with one UK newspaper - to link security for the match with the protests. How, it wasn't entirely clear. But then it rarely is.
Anyway, they would have been sorely disappointed. Calvia mayor, Juan Antonio Amengual, was full of praise for English good behaviour. "Once again, the qualitative leap in the type of tourism visiting the Magalluf area has been demonstrated."
Time was, in pre-Brexit days, that one would hear horror stories of young Brits being exploited when they pitched up in Mallorca (typically Magalluf) and got themselves summer jobs. In post-Brexit days, there is still the same potential horror. Border Force officers at UK airports are informing young Britons about the risks, not just of exploitation but also of working illegally. Indeed, illegal work for young Britons now being way more likely because of Brexit. There used to be illegal work before Brexit, so not a lot has really changed.
Forests of parasols
Tourism is partly blamed for abuses with bar and restaurant terraces in Palma. These abuses, says the Federation of Residents Associations, include serving after hours, not putting away furniture after closing and excessive occupation of the public way. Last weekend, the federation organised a tour of the city centre and Santa Catalina to check on breaches of the town hall bylaw that governs terraces. Evidence was duly found. C. Fàbrica, said federation president Maribel Alcázar, "looks like a forest of parasols" after closing time when they should be put away.
Residents do have legitimate complaints, especially with regard to noise. But a constant stream of reports about abuses runs the risk of at times appearing somewhat churlish. Bylaw ok, but does it really affect people's lives if parasols aren't put away?
More wealth on its way
American visitors, we have been informed by the Restaurants Association, have a particular liking for fine dining and expensive establishments in Palma (and not just the city). High spenders, their wealth is also being directed at the property market. Alby Euesden, managing partner of US luxury real-estate company The Agency in Mallorca, says that the United Airlines direct service from Newark (New York) has "helped a lot" in making Mallorca attractive.
Whereas the old centre of Palma was once the main area of interest, rural parts and the Tramuntana Mountains are now also very much in demand. And so a sense in which there is an ever-widening gap between island haves and have-nots is further accentuated. This may be further influenced by an apparent flood of British millionaires to Mallorca. Or so it has been hinted due to a UBS report suggesting that 500,000 millionaires will leave the UK by 2028.
It seems more likely that these millionaires, desperately in search of places where they can pay least tax, will be off to low-tax destinations. Mallorca and Spain can't be said to count among these.
Legalising properties should be enough
Mallorca's rural areas have any number of properties that have been illegal for decades. A Balearic government amnesty will allow owners of many of these properties to legalise them. A quid pro quo of this amnesty is that these properties can't be used for tourism purposes, i.e. as holiday rentals.
While the government is being lobbied by the holiday rentals sector to think again, the College of Architects has added its voice to those strongly opposed to any relaxation. It argues that the legalisation is within the framework of bringing more housing to the market. As holiday rentals, these properties could disappear from the market. "Ethical criteria must be followed. Not everything goes." Quite. It would be a case of cake and eat it. Legalisation is made possible but there would then be an insistence on commercial exploitation as well.