An opinion survey conducted in 45 of Mallorca's 53 municipalities indicates that 70% of the island's residents are in favour of setting limits on population growth. Only 6% consider limits to be unnecessary; the rest are unsure.
The study was carried out by Homo Turisticus, a think tank that advocates a more balanced tourism. The author of the accompanying report is Joan Enric Capellà, a geography professor at the University of the Balearic Islands and co-founder of Som Hotels. He says that tourism determines the model of population and that if this model is to be changed, then tourism needs to change.
"What people would like is one thing, what can be done is quite another. Mallorca's physical and environmental limits are clear, and social perception is changing."
Reflecting on the pandemic, Capellà says: "When there is another economic crisis, which there will be, the perception of overcrowding will be reduced, only for it to be revived when there is economic recovery.
"The traditional tourism model is exhausted and the great demand is for its transformation." But this doesn't mean there is anti-tourism sentiment. He adds that there isn't this sentiment, only the need for a change of direction. "People are clear that tourism is a vital source of income, but that it needs to adapt."