Today, Saturday, the Balearic headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism was vandalised: the façade of the building had been painted with anti-tourism graffiti that blackened not only the wall, but also the door and the plaque, making it partially illegible. Although the most obvious signs of this vandalism are large black marks around the entire exterior of the building, a message on the left side of the door leaves no doubt as to the criticism of mass tourism behind this action: ‘Those responsible for our misery’.
The Balearic government and the Regional Ministry of Tourism have strongly condemned this act of vandalism, which has not only affected the façade, but also the section of the street leading to the entrance of the building, which has been defaced with black paint stains that disfigure the reception area of the Regional Ministry. ‘We will file a complaint immediately with the police authorities so that these acts do not go unpunished,’ they warned.
The black graffiti has engulfed the door, the plaque and part of the floor in front of the entrance.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzà, has stated that the government ‘will always respect criticism and complaints from any sector, but will never tolerate such serious acts of vandalism which, in addition to damaging our common heritage, send a deeply unfair message to tourism. Tourism is not misery, tourism is the driving force behind solutions.’
This is the second time that this type of anti-tourism graffiti has been seen in an emblematic area of Palma this year. Last May, graffiti appeared in the vicinity of s’Almudaina and s’Hort des Rei near the cathedral with anti-tourism messages.
Last month, members of the Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism More Life) platform brought a Palma sightseeing bus to a halt when they staged an action to demand a better life and an end to touristification and more beach protests are being planned.