Just thirty minutes from Palma, on the other side of the tunnel and framed by the Tramuntana mountains, lies the Soller Valley, also known as the Valley of the Oranges. A place popular with tourists for decades. Anyone who has been here once will always return or, like the author of these lines, put down roots and settle.
The village’s charm is well deserved: nestled among olive groves and citrus plantations lies the mountain slope and the peak of Puig Major, the highest mountain in Mallorca. All this is complemented by a picturesque Mallorcan village. A few kilometres further on, the Mediterranean Sea meets Puerto Soller, which invites visitors to relax along its charming seafront promenade, lined with numerous restaurants and bars.
For decades, this area has been dedicated to tourism: tourists and locals alike enjoyed unforgettable summers. But after the pandemic, the situation changed. Soller has recently made headlines in the local press for all the wrong reasons: mass tourism, sky-high rents, a lack of housing, and constant traffic chaos have sparked strong protests from residents over the past two years. Now, many tourists appear tired of being blamed for everything. They no longer feel welcome.
The consequences: empty restaurant terraces, fewer hotel bookings, and a drop in income. This is leading to job losses at the height of the season and forced furloughs for staff in July. And of course, the big question: how did it come to this?
People fear for their livelihoods
The atmosphere is divided, emotions are mixed. While many residents continue to complain about overcrowding, others are now worried about how they’ll make a living. "We’ve scared the tourists away," says the German owner of a rural hotel in Soller. "I wouldn’t want to spend my holidays in a place where I don’t feel welcome."
But it’s the restaurants that are suffering the most. "Except on weekends or rainy days, there’s not much going on here; we’re just waiting around, and it’s been like this since May," explains a Mallorcan waiter at a restaurant in Puerto Soller which is usually packed.
Geopolitical instability and rising prices may also be contributing factors. Another employee says: "There has to be a middle ground between mass tourism and empty restaurants. Before the pandemic, things were different. People were busy, but they could still breathe — and, most importantly, afford their accommodation. We just want things to go back to how they were, and for our Soller not to be completely overrun."
Whether the low season will help hospitality businesses recover their losses remains to be seen. Or whether, for some, next year will mark a permanent farewell.
The author, Carina Gross, has lived in Soller since 2017 and works as a yoga teacher.