Dear Editor,
We’ve had a holiday villa for over 30 years in Mallorca. It has changed over the years, as everything does, but sadly not for the better. It’s sad British people are no longer welcome, even though over the years we’ve ploughed a lot into the island’s economy and the inhabitants there ought to stop and think what will happen to their economy when people like us stop going??
What else do they have apart from sun, sand and places to visit, ie a holiday resort. They need the economy from tourism to survive!…so people from Mallorca please stop and think before you alienate us! We’ve added an awful lot of money to your economy over 30 years!
It’s quite sad really, the older generation there are very friendly, so why are we no longer welcome?? We’re friendly to you, but please realise we can always sell up and go elsewhere!
Name and address supplied
Editor note: Just for the record no-one has said that it is just the British who are no longer welcome. The Open Letter was addressed to all tourists from all nations.
Dear Sir,
Interesting reading, but thankfully I have no intention of ever returning to Mallorca. Been there, seen it, done it, got the t shirt and video.
It has become a money making tourist trap. Over priced tat, overpriced food and drink. Surly waiters, you name it.
I wish you well, but you´ve had your day, sink into oblivion of your own choosing and return to a small non descript little island of no consequence. I'll wait for the poor begging letters to start as work and money dry up.
Name and address supplied
Dear Editor,
Yes I totally agree with the open letter. Myself and family love mallorca and love to go there on our Holiday. It is our favourite place in the world. We have decided to stay away and go elsewhere until the situation is sorted. Good luck with your cause.
Name and address supplied
Dear Sir
In response to the article dated 17th March titled "Open Letter Please don't come on holiday to Majorca"
I read the Majorca Daily Bulletin, not because I live on Mallorca though more so because I have genuine interest in an island of which I feel a personal connection to, I don't have illusions of grandeur to purchase property on the island, indeed I couldn't afford to. Instead; due to the cost involved I can only visit on a most infrequent basis. I feel saddened to feel so very unwelcome to the island, particular in the letter that states "Do not come - you are the source of our problem".
When I was a child; I spent many happy times on Majorca in my parents apartment in Santa Ponsa. My parents sold the flat many years ago, the price has since rocketed. Back in the late 80s, early 9-s my parents considered the local Administration (Calvia) to be considerably difficult with and completely unaccommodating to non locals. When they owned the apartment; my parents paid the taxes, and looked after the property well. We respected the land and it's people, we purchased food and furniture locally and we lived as though we were "locals". Understanding it's significance, many years later, my husband was to propose to me on the island and we married on my birthday (in Scotland). This October will be my 50th and our 7th wedding anniversary.
I am an NHS worker and my husband works in Corporate travel, neither of us are at all well paid. Indeed, we are frequently asked if we get "free" holidays through my husband working in Business travel (the answer is no!). We have been saving hard in order to take my (now adult) children to Majorca in October and to show them the places fond to my childhood. We are coming "out of season" to keep the price low and to avoid the busier period. I have been unable to afford to take my children to Majorca since they were very young and indeed, my husband and I had been unable to travel following a long period of critical illness.
This coming October, we will stay in a local hotel on a room only basis, we will eat locally, we will shop local and we will respect the land and its inhabitants. We will enjoy visiting and spending at outdoor markets and small independently owned shops, we will respect places of religious significance, we will respect and speak politely to local shop owners. We will not be falling about drunk, hanging flags from balcony windows nor will we plan to get ourself arrested nor rely on the local hospital for treatment thanks to stupidity.
What saddens me, as a "Brit", is the notion that all "Brits" have all been tagged within a similar category.
We also very much appreciate the "greed" of tourism. We live on the coast in Scotland, nearby are little towns that are "over run" with visitors from abroad! When I go home to Wales, it saddens me to see lovely Mumbles awash with traffic and tourists, indeed you can't get parked anywhere and the cafe's are "out the door". Edinburgh has gone the same way, overpriced and awash with tourists, as is London indeed, there is no escape! In Scotland, it's a standing joke that the American tourists come on holiday to "Scotchland" and ask us if we have caught a haggis and if we know their "Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather".
Joking aside, tourism is felt "everywhere". Some places have indeed became a "product of their own success" to the detriment of the locals, that is certainly the case in small areas of Scotland where holiday lets have prevented locals from buying homes. Indeed we couldn't afford a home in a known tourist town for that very reason, even though we were reliant in order to allow our daughter to attend her local school!
Regardless of how much we don't like the rise in prices, the busyness, the overuse of local resources. The fact is, many places simply would not survive without tourism. The way around this is not to "attack" the tourists resulting in them feeling unwelcome and actually afraid to visit. Indeed, let's not forget that those who signed this "open letter" will always be tourist themselves somewhere in the world!
The way around this is to put pressure on the policy makers and the large companies promoting tourism at a heightened price, though not reinvesting in to local infrastructures.
Following an awful few years, I had been looking forward to finally spending quality time with my close family on Majorca later this year. Though the letter in today's Bulletin has both deeply saddened yet also sadly annoyed me. I am now wondering if booking this "once in a lifetime" holiday has been a mistake.
Name and address supplied
Dear Sir.,
I would like to respond to the open letter addressing tourism in Mallorca, supporting the call to respond to and respect the needs of the residents by not choosing Mallorca as a travel destination currently.
Firstly, I commend the Islands residents for taking a really important stand that not only impacts Mallorca,but all cities facing unsustainable,degrading,destructive crushes of mass package,foreign luxury or the absolute worst,cruise ship tourism.
Having visited Mallorca briefly two years ago, I witnessed first hand the impact of mass tourism on your beautiful island. I could easily see landscapes,beaches,coves have been trampled by endless rows of aging generic concrete hotels, non degradable waste, tacky souvenir shops, and low-quality restaurants catering to the most superficial holiday experiences.
The worst is when the development is meant to badly and generically copy or simulate the low end mainstream tastes of "home" where the majority of tourists hail from. The ones who just want their country plonked on a much warmer beach without the responsibility or expectations of their home nation.
This trend of the past 40 years needs to end now. Enough is enough.
In some areas, the situation is even worse—former party strips have become the clichéd epicenters of reckless, boozy tourism, dominated by entitled awful behavior that brings destruction, resource demolition to this rare and ecologically sensitive island, and burns out the best seasonal workers that must deal with this crap over and over and over again for a declining get you nowhere wage.
It's a type of the worst 'colonisation lite' that really sprung forth in the late 1980s. Ruining entire precious seasons for locals to deal with annual mass market scourges.
As someone living in London, I deeply understand the consequences of housing displacement. Foreign wealth demolishing the spending power of local incomes, cartels moving in to price fix, push inflation, create chain gangs of vulnerable asylum seekers as trinket sellers, supply the increased demand of drugs and human exploitation. Property speculators, and private equity are the worst offenders ruining the possibility of owning for locals, where affordability should always be control indexed to 3x an annual local wage. For young and single people, they have to be able to afford to live in their own city. It should never be a pipe dream.Its a deadly serious crisis..I stand with Mallorca and her residents in saying: never again.
However with all reaction, there must be nuanced balance and pro action and I think the best way to address all of it is to have fallow years of no package based mass tourism, to recover from tourism, creating a permit system based on membership to ecological societies, an Island 'society' or the traditional ideals of international youth hostels, not party hostels, and focus on individual tourists , or niche categories of people who commit to the community,integrate, support tourism incomes from the bottom up and leave a very light foot print. Home swapping relationships are wonderful as the benefits are equalised and intimate.
There is a way forward where we can all enjoy each others countries, increase tourist sector income of independant and community based local beneficiaries, and roll back the worst displacement , excesses and gross mistakes of the last 40 years.
Thank you to Mallorca citizens for showing leadership, grit and determination to not only spearhead, but embolden a needed global movement to bring relief and change as soon as possible.
In solidarity and care,
Name and address supplied
Dear Sir,
I understand where the residents are coming from with this plea.
But, I am arriving in Mallorca in May on a walking holiday.
The hotel we are staying at is privately owned by a Mallorcan family.
The restraunts we eat are owned by Mallorcans.
The taxi we use to get to/from the hotel is owned by a Mallorcan.
We deliberately do not use international companies.
If Mallorca doesn't want people like us, then we will go elsewhere.
Name and address supplied
Hello,
With regard to the headlines, its very difficult to know what to do for the best. I look forward every year as I have done for some time, to my 10 days in Majorca.
Over the years I have become friendly with many Spanish who have the pleasure of calling Majorca their home. At one point I was considering moving there myself, but in light of recent protests and in all honesty a realisation on my part of the damage over tourism does, I decided not to.
Whenever I’m there, I try to only frequent Spanish owned bars, restaurants and shops, with Spanish staff, and I do wonder what would happen to their livelihoods, should tourism diminish to what may be perceived as more manageable.
I do want to be able to continue to enjoy my annual holiday in Majorca and I hope my presence doesn’t result in any confrontation. By the same token, after many years of anti-tourism, I have to say it really wouldn’t take much for me to take my patronage elsewhere as I feel the real issue with governance of the island, not the tourists.
Full name and address supplied
Dear Sir,
I totally understand the views of the Mallorquin population and the Balearic Government needs to act. I used to live in Mallorca - my (now adult) children are mallorquines.
When I visit the island, it is always to visit the Mallorquin side of my family and I tend to stay away from tourist areas (harder every year)
Last year, I visited in April and was astounded by the quantity of tourists in Palma…in April it was already almost impossible to even walk comfortably along a pavement.
The property situation is dreadful: despite being well educated and from reasonably well to do families, I don’t know how my nieces and nephews will be able to afford to buy houses. My son now lives in Australia and my daughter in London - even London feels less crowded than Palma!
Name and address supplied