Mallorca ‘on the brink’ as police ‘can’t do job due to tourists’ | Europe | Travel

Residents of Mallorca have been voicing their frustrations about the negative impact of tourism on their daily lives.

Spain has seen a surge in anti-tourism protests recently, both on the mainland and the Balearic Islands, as locals express their anger over property developers buying up homes for the tourism sector, causing rents to skyrocket.

However, it’s not just the rising rent prices that are causing discontent. Over the past few weeks, residents have taken to the r/Mallorca forum on Reddit to air their grievances.

One resident disclosed they were considering selling their flat because “it has become a hellhole to live here”. They explained that “investors” have gradually bought most of the flats in their building, which are now rented out to tourists.

They added: “Being on the ground floor, I’ve been able to make some adjustments so I can come and go through my garden. I’m sick of running into half naked, drunken strangers in the hallway. My home has been turned into a hotel. The pool is unusable.”

Despite this, they clarified: “I don’t blame the tourists, it’s the investors who’ve shown no respect for residents. We are also being priced out of restaurants who are marketing themselves for tourists.”

Another Redditor echoed these sentiments, stating: “My nine apartment building has been turned into a hotel. I have no neighbours anymore. There’s no respect for my home.”

A beleaguered police officer from Mallorca said the strain caused by the influx of tourists means they can’t do their job properly. They commented: “As a law enforcement officer, sometimes I feel my work is purely to solve tourists’ problems, overloading us with work without being able to aid the locals as effectively as we would like.”

Another local drew comparisons with Hawaii, where officials previously begged for the number of fights to the island to be reduced.

They wrote: “As in Mallorca, dependence on tourism has led to an increase in housing costs, job insecurity, and an overexploitation of natural resources, with the local population feeling marginalised for the benefit of visitors and external interests.” They also blamed overtourism for a “loss of cultural identity”.