An opinion survey conducted in 45 of Mallorca's 53 municipalities reveals that 63% of the population believe that further tourism growth would not improve their standard of living.
This is one finding from the survey by Homo Turisticus, a debate platform that is committed to a more balanced tourism. Nine hundred people were surveyed, and only eleven per cent were of the view that more tourism would mean a better standard of living (the rest were don't knows).
The author of the accompanying report is one of the founders of Homo Turisticus, Joan Enric Capellà, a university geography professor in Palma and a co-founder of Som Hotels.
"The traditional tourism model is exhausted. This is a very clear message. People are clear that tourism will continue to be the economic engine of the Balearics, but they are asking for a transformation so that it does not have a negative impact on residents themselves.
"Mallorca has been putting all its eggs into one basket for too long. The time has come to build another basket." Accepting that alternatives will not be as large as tourism, he cites the example of the Netherlands. "It is one of the European powers in the agri-food sector*, and we should bet on that sector as a complement." It is an area with great potential through investment in technology.
"We should not wait for the government to guide us on how to make this economic change because each one of us, to a greater or lesser extent, can make changes to change the model. It is always easier to blame the administration because it is impersonal."
* According to the Balearic Government's 2023 agriculture yearbook, agri-food - the value chain of food production - represented 4.4% of regional GDP. The director-general for agriculture, Fernando Fernández, has set a target of seven per cent for the coming years.