Mallorca protests.

[sprite1275]

Anyone been or going?

Just watched on the news and some were walking down the streets spraying people having a drink outside cafes with water guns saying tourists go home!

I can see where they're coming from but what can you do when it's such a desirable tourist destination. I suppose it's the same as what's happened in parts of Cornwall and alike.

 

[shephga]

Plenty of other places to go, let them kill off their tourist industry and feel different impacts. Is a difficult problem to solve, may be taxing air bnb and holiday homes and alike to free up property and reduce costs

 

[danswan]

Just got back from Croatia and there were stories of similar happening down in Dubrovnik, but all was pleasant where we were.

I totally see their side to be honest, there are places north of me in Northumberland (Seahouses, Beadnell etc) where it is literally impossible for someone local to buy a house. Of course over time things will sort themselves out, but difficult to see a quick solution. I imagine the protests will have the effect they are trying for, as I've been to Majorca many times but won't consider it whilst this sort of thing is going on - who wants to go on holiday somewhere they are so aggressively unwelcome? And then I guess when enough people have stayed away the economy of these places collapses, and suddenly they become welcoming again.

 

[Uther]

This was in the press about Barcelona a week ago, it's obviously catching on.

 

[Jokester]

Barcelona is the same.

I also had a distinct feel in the US that people were a lot more unwelcoming to tourists the last couple of trips.

 

[chrismscotland]

I have some sympathy, especially in the Island's where locals are basically being forced out it has to be said (not that dissimilar to parts of Edinburgh) but its a fine line; tourism is the main revenue raiser in so many places - its needs better balanced

 

[UTmaniac]

Is the issue tourism full stop, or how tourists are being allowed to buy property in tourist destinations instead of staying in hotels etc, raising prices and reducing availability for locals?

I suspect the latter.

Southampton has a huge revolving student population these days, but the unis far from provide enough student accommodation of their own, which landlords are taking advantage of at the cost of people who want/need to live here due to work and/or family links.

 

[Jokester]

Is the issue tourism full stop, or how tourists are being allowed to buy property in tourist destinations instead of staying in hotels etc, raising prices and reducing availability for locals?

I suspect the latter.

Locals are definitely fed up of Airbnbs popping up all over their community.

 

[200sols]

Is the issue tourism full stop, or how tourists are being allowed to buy property in tourist destinations instead of staying in hotels etc, raising prices and reducing availability for locals?

I suspect the latter.

Well in Barcelona they are looking to substantially increase the levy on cruise ship visitors as well.

 

[chrismscotland]

Cruise ships and Air BnB type seems to be the main issues in most of these places

 

[200sols]

To be fair though property being purchased as an investment is an issue that extends well beyond tourist hotspots.

 

[Werewolf]

I also had a distinct feel in the US that people were a lot more unwelcoming to tourists the last couple of trips.

To be fair, going by what a couple of my uncles have said that's always been the case with customs at some of the big US airports
I can't remember which airport it was, but one of my uncles would very deliberately avoid it because the customs/immigration staff there always gave him hassle/seemed grumpy due to him being being a dual citizen with England and Aus, he never had that problem at several other airports (from what he said it seemed it was the combination of him flying from England on an English passport with an aussie accent).

Cruise ships and Air BnB type seems to be the main issues in most of these places

I can imagine.
Cruise ships dump a lot of people into the area and may not actually do much for the local economy, especially if the trips etc are organised/run from a company outside of the area and the passengers are basically ferried to and from the preferred locations, and air bnb etc are a cancer on the local housing - IIRC during covid lockdown it became very apparent in a lot of places how much of the local housing stock was basically being tied up for weekend/short term holiday lets at the expense of the local population (IIRC a number of cities in the UK/Ireland suddenly had tens of thousands of 6+ month leases available in areas that had not had any for several years).

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Cruise ships and Air BnB type seems to be the main issues in most of these places

Dubrovnik and Kotor Bay are horrendous when 2-3 humongous cruise ships rock up daily.

 

[rypt]

Locals are definitely fed up of Airbnbs popping up all over their community.

Seems like a failure of government to prevent / adequately tax this.

 

[chrismscotland]

Venice is terrible with cruise ships; they've really been at the forefront of pushing back against them; especially when they come - spend very little and then bugger off at the end of the day anyway.

 

[robfosters]

I’ll give it 2 years max with a huge reduction in tourism before they’re screaming for them to come back. The best part of 120k jobs gone

 

[koolpc]

Same thing happening in Luton...

 

[BowdonUK]

The Cornish people might want to start doing this with outsiders.