Local residents take over popular beach in Mallorca in protest of overtourism

Mass tourism continues to create major problems for residents of some European countries. In some places, it has started to lead to protests.

For example, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, locals seized a popular beach last weekend. According to Euronews, they decided to demonstrate to the authorities that they are dissatisfied with the way they control the flow of tourists.

Among the main complaints raised by the people were the lack of affordable housing, which is rented by visitors en masse, the overloaded healthcare system, and the disrespectful behavior of the island's guests. To resist this, people united in the movement Occupem Les Nostres Platges ("Occupy Our Beaches").

The protesters laid towels on the sand and symbolically dipped into the sea. In this way, they tried to urge local authorities to impose restrictions on tourism. More than 100 people took part in the action. Demonstrators on S'Arenal beach said they could no longer enjoy their neighborhood because there were too many tourists. Some complained that because of the excess of vacationers, local residents lost the opportunity to visit the beaches.

"The disappearance of local culture, the rising cost of living, the inability to live here and the deterioration of public services - many tourists understand this because they know what it means in their home countries," one of the demonstrators complained to journalists.

It is known that last year Mallorca was visited by a record number of foreign tourists - 14 million. Then the islanders began placing homemade fake signs on Mallorca's beaches, telling tourists to stay away from the designated area. Similar actions took place in neighboring Ibiza.

This year, the trend will continue. Even before the start of the summer season, more than 6 million tourists visited Mallorca, which is 8% more than in the same period a year earlier.

It is known that the authorities of the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, and others, have already responded to the complaints of residents. They have set up a special committee, which includes representatives of the tourism sector and civil society. The committee plans to develop means to curb the impact of tourism. Among the proposed changes are tighter control over illegal tourist accommodation, the appointment of 27 new inspectors and the introduction of fines of up to 80,000 euros for violations of tourism legislation.

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