The tourist crisis in Majorca continued on Sunday (June 16) as hundreds of protesters occupied one of Spain’s most popular island beaches, telling travellers to “go home”.
The demonstration was organised by the group Mallorca Platja Tour, with people beginning to arrive as early as 8am local time. By 10am, over 300 people were in attendance, the time at which the first foreign daytrippers usually arrive.
Two weeks ago, the group staged its first protest at Sa Rapita Beach on Mallorca, which saw a small group gather to “occupy” the shore and take it over from tourists. At the time, Mallorca Platja Tour wrote on X: “We urge residents to fill the beaches of Mallorca as a demonstration against overcrowding,” adding that “beaches belong to everyone”.
This latest demonstration, which follows months of protests against mass-tourism, took place on the beach of Calo del Moro, a 29-metre scenic cove on the south of the island, which has become incredibly popular with tourists, particularly social media personalities.
The latest demonstration focused in particular on the overcrowding of Calo del Moro beach which gets so busy that residents find it difficult to visit, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Maria Pons, the mayor, had previously criticised social media influencers that visited the beach, telling a council meeting: “We have seen how some visitors change their swimwear three or four times to take different selfies and claim on their online profiles they’ve been to Caló des Moro many times”. Pons added that the beach needed a “rest” and to be “forgotten” for a season.
Pons also said that they understood the demonstration and “won’t do anything to stop it,” but argued that “if we carry on the way we are, there won’t be a cove anymore because of the erosion that’s been caused”.
The organisers said: “We want to spend a day at the beach with people from here. To do so we had to come at eight in the morning, otherwise, it would have been impossible.”
Posting details of the protest, they added: “For one day, Calo des Moro will belong to Majorcans”.
Having begun the protest early on Sunday morning, it was set to end at 1pm. However, police were called shortly after midday after people started shouting “tourists go home”, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported. The Guardia Civil were called, asked the banners to be removed and asked some for ID.
It is believed that the police thought the protest took place without the permission of the Government, which is required for such activities. As a result, the protest came to a premature end and the protesters dispersed.
The organisers were said to have promised a “fun and festive day”, which included some folk dancing. No other incidents occurred, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
The president of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, had previously posted on X that she was “proud to be the president of a tourism community. Precisely because we love tourism and believe in our economic model, the time has come to set limits”.
This followed growing concern in recent months that Spanish holiday destinations were being ruined by unsustainable tourism models that are being used.
Thousands marched in Majorca two weeks ago over the “massification of tourism”, with similar protests taking place in Ibiza in late May and Barcelona on June 8.
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