Brits have been told to ‘stay at home’ and to ‘stop coming’ to Majorca, Spain, as tensions between tourists and locals continue to fester at the holiday hotspot
British holidaymakers have been urged to “stop coming” to Majorca as friction between locals and tourists persists. One resident even described Brits as behaving “behave like animals” and being “dirty and smelly.”
This comes as an estimated two million tourists are believed to have gone “missing” in Spain’s Balearic Islands last year, amid speculation that some may have used unlawful lodgings.
Authorities in the popular island group, which includes Majorca and Ibiza, face mounting pressure to clamp down on dubious holiday rentals, accused of contributing to over-tourism. An anonymous source informed Majorca Daily Bulletin that local government is missing out on income from tourist taxes due to the use of illegal rentals.
Government statistics quoted by the same outlet suggest thousands of tourists are choosing to stay in private residences or unregulated accommodation rather than registered hotels or holiday lets where tourist taxes can be applied. Some of the estimated two million could also have been staying with friends or relatives or in their own second homes, but Majorca Daily Bulletin reports hoteliers suspect some tourists rented illegal flats and villas.
Readers of the report criticised the figure, with one arguing there was a need to “wage war” on illegal lets, but focusing solely on that would not help reduce overall visitor numbers. They suggested people renting illegal properties for their holidays would largely shift their stays to the Balearics’ licensed accommodation, reports the Express.
The contributor remarked: “So we will still have a situation of 20 million plus visitors and most agree this is too many for our island and needs to be managed better and reduced.”
Another individual vented their frustration, saying: “Spanish tourism does not depend on Brits. Has never and will never depend on Brits. We want you to stop coming in fact.”
“You are poor, you leave poor margins and you behave like animals. You are noisy, dirty, smelly, drunk and misbehaved. We are not playing a dangerous game, we want you to stay at home.”
While some questioned the statistics, one commenter insisted that the focus for hoteliers should be ensuring guests use legal accommodation, rather than cutting down on tourist numbers. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported in July last year, citing figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute, that 2.3 million tourists stayed with friends or family or in illegal rentals in 2023.
New legislation by the Balearic Government means landlords who don’t register to pay Spain’s mandatory tourist tax will be forced to shut down. Spain has witnessed protests in various holiday hotspots recently, with residents up in arms over the effects of mass tourism on housing, water and other natural resources, and the environment.
It has also come to light that Malaga is set to join other sought-after locations such as Barcelona and Majorca in limiting new holiday rental property registrations.
While visitors can still reserve hotels and apartments, the change could affect AirBnB’s option to rent a private room within someone’s property. The Independent reports that existing accommodations impacted by this alteration include holiday flats registered since February 22 of the previous year, which lack separate entrances and utilities for permanent residents.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.