FURIOUS protesters stormed one of Majorca’s most famous party beaches as they rage against “low quality” visitors to the island.
Anti-tourist marches have been taking place across Spain this summer raging at an industry they accuse of being built of drunkenness.
15
15
15
15
15
15
Campaigners also blame visitor numbers for other issues such as the cost of living and lack of housing in towns flooded by visitors.
Pictures showed the demonstrators laying out a banner which read: “Occupy our beaches”.
Others carried signs saying “tourists go home” and raging that Majorca is “not a f***ing theme park”.
The group of around 100 protesters spoke to beachgoers during the demonstration.
And one activist was seen on video loudly playing the bagpipes on the pristine sand.
Campaign group Majorca Platja Tour took over the beach Balneario 6 in Playa de Palma.
The group said they targeted the stretch of sand as it was notorious for drunkenness.
They warned more marches are coming over the next weeks, including in nearby Magaluf.
One of the protestors said: “40 years ago, when I was young, I used to come here to swim, then people started coming to drink and it has deteriorated.”
Another added: “We are trying, for a moment, for a few hours, to remember that these sandbanks are the property of all Majorcans not just tourists, we can all enjoy them too.
“Many tourists understand this, it is easy to understand that the rent has doubled, that everything is full.
“They are understanding, it is not a criticism of them, it is a criticism of the tourism model.”
The main object of the campaign group is to change the “model” of tourism on the island
Raging protest messages were written in English and also directed at German visitors.
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
Both nationalities have been blamed by locals for the “low quality” tourism they feel is plaguing Majorca.
But they don’t seem to be being put off by the repeated protests.
It is estimated more than 6.3 million Brits visited Spain between January and May this year – along with 4.4 million Germans.
The number of UK visitors was up by 11 per cent, while the Germans had increased by nearly 15 per cent.
It is estimated that Brits account for nearly 20 per cent of all tourist spending in Spain, according to the country’s National Statistics Institute.
Cops deployed two police vans to monitor the protests – but local press reports the event passed without any problems.
Holidaymakers were taken by surprise when the protest stormed the beach.
The campaigners want to turn the clock back to the 60s and 70s before the beach became famous for its round-the-clock parties.
Similar protests have been ongoing on Mallorca for months but the group criticised the “inaction” of the administrations about the tourist overcrowding in the islands.
The association said they had chosen Balneario 6 as a “symbol of a drunken beach”.
“A tourism model that we think is doing us a lot of harm,” they said.
The idea was to make the two-hour protest a “trip to the past” and a family meeting.
“A nod to the Mallorca of the 60s and 70s,” said the group which stressed the action “was not against tourism but against a tourism model that impoverishes.”
They added: “We also want to be the voice that reminds our political representatives that they do not work only for the great elites but for all the citizens of this land.”
Further sit-ins are planned for the coming weeks, including in Magaluf and Port d’Alcúdia.
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.