Daniela Otero is the interim president of the UN World Tourism Organization's ethics committee. She has lived almost her entire life in Mallorca. Reflecting on recent protests, she insists there is no "tourismphobia". "Nor is there a general rejection of tourists, as some try to make out, but rather concern about a situation that is shared by cities in Europe, Asia and America."
The protests in Palma, she argues, are an expression of a problem that has existed for years but which is now knocking on the door of political leaders more loudly than ever.
"What cannot be done is to ignore what is happening," she stresses, at the same time criticising sensationalist reporting by the foreign media. This reduces the messages to headlines of the type which state that Mallorca and the Balearics are sick of tourists.
"We must get away from these stereotypes; they don't do any good. And protests in the streets should not be trivialised by saying that the problem is being politicised in Mallorca."
In her view, the islands do not have to copy models for dealing with overtourism that are being applied elsewhere, even if these may serve as inspiration. She is not in favour of a tourism decrease but advocates an expansion of infrastructures through consensual planning based on data.
Citizens must be key members of this consensus. Governments should therefore do everything possible to involve them in decision-making. "We must integrate the residents into the processes of change that are as important as these."