Frustration is mounting in Majorca as residents grapple with the overwhelming effects of mass tourism. Locals are now openly urging visitors to stay away, saying the island simply cannot handle the surging tourist numbers without sacrificing its quality of life.
With 17 million visitors last year and projections pushing that number to 20 million by 2025, residents say their home is being turned into a playground for outsiders while their basic needs are neglected. A local activist group, SOS Residents, has become the voice of growing unrest. They claim tourism has caused rent prices to skyrocket, housing to become unaffordable, and infrastructure to be strained to the breaking point.
[[Majorca overtourism]]
Some locals have even been forced to live in vans or leave the island altogether. Despite the government’s Sustainable Tourism Tax and efforts to spread visits across the year, the impact of overdevelopment and overcrowding continues to be felt daily.
The rising tension has spilled onto the streets. In recent incidents, activists squirted tourists with water pistols in protest — a symbolic but stark reflection of local anger. The protests, while peaceful, send a strong message: the island is at a tipping point. Calls are now being made for more drastic solutions, such as restricting foreign ownership of property and limiting the number of flights to the island.
[[beauty of Majorca]]
The bottom line from locals is clear: tourism is vital to the economy, but not at the cost of the island’s soul. Without meaningful action, Majorca risks becoming a victim of its own popularity — where both residents and responsible tourists lose.
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