Tuesday, December 24, 2024

‘Empty hotels & no rental cars’ chant anti-tourists as they join Majorca protest

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ANTI-TOURIST zealots last night chanted “empty hotels, no rental cars and no cyclists” during a massive demonstration.

The protesters also spoke of ploughing up Majorca’s motorway network in a promo video for the Palma demo.

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One sign at last night’s protest reads ‘TAKE BACK YOUR DRUNKS GIVE BACK OUR HOMES’Credit: Solarpix
A very sensitive sign targeting Brits brags Spain's win in the 2024 Euros - reading 'THE ONLY THING COMING HOME IS YOU' with the 2-1 score below

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A very sensitive sign targeting Brits brags Spain’s win in the 2024 Euros – reading ‘THE ONLY THING COMING HOME IS YOU’ with the 2-1 score belowCredit: Solarpix
Thousands took to the streets of Palma on Sunday evening for the protest

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Thousands took to the streets of Palma on Sunday evening for the protestCredit: Solarpix
Another anti-tourist sign reads 'WE USED TO HAVE A LIFE... SOS RESIDENTS'

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Another anti-tourist sign reads ‘WE USED TO HAVE A LIFE… SOS RESIDENTS’Credit: Solarpix
Residents believe the country prioritise tourists over locals

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Residents believe the country prioritise tourists over localsCredit: Solarpix

A scene-setting video for the Majorca protest featured images including queues to get onto iconic island cove Calo des Moro and a group of foreign cyclists.

Lyrics rang out: “There will be no more regattas, tomorrow is the last cruise.

“Goodbye rental cars, goodbye rat businesses. Houses will be cheap and we won’t see more cyclists.”

It ends with an islander singing in Catalan: “We will plough the highways, the hotels will be empty and so the world will understand that there are too many tourists.”

Toni Perez, mayor of Brit holiday hotspot Benidorm, blasted anti-tourist protesters for not understanding fewer visitors would be economic suicide.

He told local media: “Has anyone considered that in a European country in which its great strength is the car industry, the population demonstrates against it?”

Roughly 100 organisations vowed to support last night’s demo in Palma – the second in two months.

The number of protesters was even expected to surpass a whopping 10,000 people.

Regional government spokesman Antoni Costa has already showed angst among Majorcan politicians as he begged protesters to leave Brit holidaymakers alone.

Mr Costa said: “There’s no fear because here it hasn’t happened and people have always been respectful.

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“But we have seen a certain type of behaviour in Barcelona which, as you can imagine, we didn’t like.

“We ask for the upmost respect for those who have decided not to demonstrate and urge those who do protest to do so peacefully and not interrupt other citizens and visitors.”

Foreign tourists were booed and jeered by some locals as they ate evening meals on terraces in Palma’s Weyler Square during the last protest in the Majorcan capital on May 25.

Organisers ended up making a public apology afterwards due to the poor behaviour demonstrated.

Earlier this month tourists were sprayed with water pistols in Barcelona by demonstrators during a protest there against tourist massification.

Locals marched along a waterfront district of the city with their furious slogan “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism”.

The Melia Palma Bay Hotel was one of a number of buildings in Palma lit up with messages of support for the protest.

A neon message on the front of the hotel said: “Let’s put limits on tourism.”

Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots

A WAVE of anti-tourist measures are being implemented across Europe to curb mass tourism in popular holiday hotspots.

Overcrowding has become the main problem in many sunny destinations, with authorities trying to find a solution to keep tourists and locals happy.

Officials have attempted to reduce the impact of holidaymakers by implementing additional taxes on tourists, or banning new hotels.

Earlier this year Venice became the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for holidaymakers after it started charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) if visiting the historical Italian centre.

It was followed by an area in Barcelona which resorted to removing a well-used bus route from Apple and Google Maps to stop crowds of tourists from using the bus.

 Meanwhile, San Sebastián in the north of Spain, limited the maximum number of people on guided visits to 25 to avoid congestion, noise, nuisance and overcrowding.

The city has already banned the construction of new hotels.

The Spanish government has allowed restaurants to charge customers more for sitting in the shade in Andalucia.

Benidorm has introduced time restrictions, as swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am could cost a whopping £1,000.

The Canary Islands are also considering adopting measures to regulate the number of visitors – and charge tourists a daily tax.

Greece has already enforced a tourist tax during the high season (from March to October) with visitors expected to pay from €1 (£0.86) to €4 (£3.45) per night, depending on the booked accommodation.

Officials in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia want to introduce a fee for travellers to remind people to be courteous during their trips.

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Residents are protesting against mass tourism

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Residents are protesting against mass tourismCredit: Solarpix
The Catalan flag was being waved at the protest

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The Catalan flag was being waved at the protestCredit: Solarpix

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