The Balearic Islands are one of the most popular destinations in Spain and Europe in summer. So much so that this small area seems to collapse every year, and residents are increasingly reporting a feeling of satiety and suffocation in their daily lives that is at odds with their quality of life. Now the authorities they began to implement concrete measures to limit the growth of this industry. Capping the number of vehicles entering the islands, regulating the number of cruise ships and even reducing the number of hotel beds are the three main ongoing measures.
Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca have limited natural resources, but the impact of tourism means that these resources are depleting more and more rapidly. Environmentalists from some of the most active organizations on the islands, such as the GOB, Terraferida or Amics de la Terra, have been asking for limits for growth for years. Even some entrepreneurs in the industry now support it.
The Islands Parliament has given the green light to a pioneering law aimed at eliminating part of the state. 625,000 hotel beds currently on the islands. It’s a matter of pushing 40,000 max, mainly those of low category small old hotels. The Balearic Islands currently have a population of 1.2 million, which means: there is a hotel room for every two people.
The government, headed by the socialist Francina Armengol, wants to desaturate the industry by considering the islands. “they can no longer grow in quantity.”
“A few small islands in the middle of the Mediterranean have raised their voices on what the tourism model should look like,” said Economic Model Minister Iago Negueruela.
The ecological footprint of tourism has been growing, especially since tourist apartments became popular. Renting housing to tourists on the islands is another source of controversy, as vacationers allow accommodation for a quota in addition to those currently staying in hotels. It has been decided to regulate renting apartments to tourists on islands like Mallorca, but outright ban it on others like Ibiza. There is a huge housing shortage on this last island, exacerbated by rentals to vacationers; This is a very attractive option for many owners, who may charge a quarterly tourist more money than a year-round resident.
Only three cruises a day in Palma
Not all cruise ships that want to do this will be able to come, either. The port of Palma (others have not made any arrangements for now) decided to limit the number of these vessels that could dock. A maximum of three people can arrive per day, of which only one can exceed 5,000 passengers.
In Mallorca, cruise ships have been the subject of protests for the influence they have had. pollutant emissions to the atmosphere and waste water discharges, in addition to the large consumption of drinking water required by each. However, the sudden disembarkation of thousands of people from these huge ships to the city of Palma once again creates a feeling of suffocation among the residents. In fact, everyone involved, including businessmen, has reached this agreement to limit cruise ships in Palma port.
And finally cars. The Balearic Islands are a real occupation of cars, especially rentalIn summer, it causes the collapse of roads and natural areas, especially beaches and bays. Four years ago, Formentera was the first island to offer the maximum number of cars and motorcycles each summer: a total of 10,956 for an island with less than 12,000 permanent inhabitants.
Now, Ibiza and Menorca want to follow in their footsteps, and the first meetings between the mayors and the Consells have already been held to implement the measure on these two other islands. According to Consell president Vicen Marí (PP), there is more than one car per capita in Ibiza and this is “unsustainable”. The mayors of the two main island political powers, the PP and PSOE, agree to put a ‘numerus clausus’ in the summer.
Almost all of these measures are well received by islander businessmen, who are attracted by competition from large multinationals (in this case, car rentals) from foreign countries who leave no profits on the islands.
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