At a meeting with President Prohens and tourism minister Jaume Bauzá on Wednesday, TUI's director of corporate and external affairs, Thomas Ellerbeck, attributed protests in Mallorca and the Balearics to what he and the tour operator believe to be the islands' real issue: the housing problems faced by the middle and working classes.
He said that he understood the problems faced by many residents who "can't afford housing", adding that the lack of affordable housing may be linked to holiday rentals. "But that's not the type of tourism we support; our customers stay in hotels."
He pointed out that tourists who arrive in Mallorca on package holidays travel to their hotels by coach, thereby minimising the impact they may have on traffic congestion. He contrasted this with independent visitors who rent cars.
Ellerbeck explained that his perception that housing is the main cause of protests came as a result of meetings held with political, business and civil society representatives. Among others, TUI met with the Forum for Civil Society, which comprises groups who are critical of the tourism model and walked away from the Balearic Government's sustainability pact, objecting to the fact that it wasn't getting a fair hearing.
Despite protest messages against overtourism and overcrowding, Ellerbeck was of the view that tourists are most welcome. "This is what I hear when I speak with all organisations on the island, including representatives of civil society."