The ‘Less tourism, more life’ platform warned today that the impacts of tourism on access to housing, job insecurity and overcrowding, among other effects of tourism, cannot continue to be denied. In a press release to mark World Tourism Day, they said: “It’s a day on which we hear speeches that deny, minimise or actively ignore the denunciation of the social, environmental and climatic impacts that affect the territories.”
They pointed out, as part of the inter-island campaign, a ‘’Let’s change course’ demonstration has been called in Ibiza, following on from the protests in Mallorca and Menorca. In addition, the platform has joined forces with groups in other areas where anti-tourism protests have taken place. They have also begun working on promoting an autumn of demonstrations and action to denounce the situation.
“Our territories have limits and so does the planet. Tourist exploitation is surpassing them and we will organise ourselves to stop and reverse these processes”, they concluded.
The group’s demands are:
1. Housing, a guaranteed right. Implement real measures to take housing off the market so that everyone has access to it. For example, regulate the sale of housing to non-residents by establishing requirements such as a minimum length of time of residence.
2. No investment of public money in infrastructure expansion, no more airports,no more ports, no new roads, no desalination plants...Decrease in the number of flights, ban on private jets and a freeze on the number of recreational boats and a limit on vessels mooring off the coast.
3. No to the hyper-commercialisation of the coast, saturated with nautical and beach toys.
4. Improving and guaranteeing access to all public services: health, education, public transport, social services, etc.public transport, social services.
5. Freeze on all new tourist places both in hotels and apartments.
6. Eliminate and/or convert old hotels.
No more promotion of tourism. No more tourist fairs.
7. Limit the entry of vehicles and set a maximum number of rental vehicles in circulation.
8. Increase the rate of the tourist tax.