Majorca fury over new plan to ‘ban’ tourist homes hits island | Travel News | Travel

Majorca is threatening to slap British tourists with a new ban on second homes in a bid to axe visitor numbers,

The political party Més per Majorca proposed new measures to the Balearic Islands government at the start of this week to reduce tourism numbers.

Critics have labelled the plans, which hope to reduce holiday housing by 40% and cap tourist numbers, as “regressive policy.”

Més per Majorca says that tourism on the Balearic Islands has become “excessive” and the amount of visitors has exceeded capacity.

The party has asked the government to allocate part of the Sustainable Tourism Tax to purchase tourist accommodation and sell them back to residents.

They have also proposed that the islands’ government stop promoting tourism internationally, asking it to withdraw from trade events like the World Travel Market in London and the Internationale Tourismus-Borse in Berlin.

Plans also include a ban on private jets, a reduction in commercial flights over the summer and a limit of one cruise ship per day in Palma port.

Més for MaJorca spokesperson Lluís Apesteguia said: “The containment measures announced by [president of the Balearic Islands] Prohens are insufficient in the face of the collapse situation we are living in; it is essential to make policies to reduce tourism and economic diversification.”

The proposals from Més per Majorca, which have not yet been debated in parliament, come after months of over-tourism protests across holiday destinations in Spain.

Graffiti in the Balearic and Canary Islands urged visitors to “go home,” and marches called for estate agents not to sell homes to holiday let companies or non-locals due to residents “suffocating” under current numbers.

Other European holiday spots are proposing similar plans to deal with overtourism. Venice and Santorini both plan to limit visitor numbers, cruise ship arrivals, and tourist taxes.