Pere Joan, a spokesperson and organiser for Menys Turisme Més Vida, has explained how campaigners are planning to get their message heard this summer
An anti-tourism organiser has revealed campaigners’ plans to disrupt holidays and raise awareness for their cause this summer.
Pere Joan is a spokesperson and organiser for Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), which has been at the forefront of the growing campaign against overtourism in Spain over the past two years. The organisation was one of 20 which signed an open letter calling for change this week, and organised street marches last summer.
“Now things are going to start, as the tourists come,” Pere told the Mirror. “In Majorca, we are starting to have the same problems as last year. Our organisation is coordinating these protests. It is a platform with other local groups, that fight for ecological, for workers, for the houses.”
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Pere’s direct involvement began in 2023 when Spain held the Presidency of the Council of the EU. This meant politicians from across Europe descended on Majorca “to talk about sustainable tourism”—something Pere is highly skeptical about.
“The demands of mass tourism mean the consumption of water, energy, food and land, something which limits Majorca. The other problem is the housing. The prices have increased so much. Many people are now using their homes for tourism. Many foreign people buy houses in Majorca without restrictions. Many local people leave the city and go to some towns that are cheaper to live and rent,” Pere said.
“Now, the speculation is rife on everything; it can be very costly for us, even in the small villages. We are demanding from local government to put restrictions on outsiders buying housing. We want taxes on empty houses. We want control of illegal Airbnbs. One of our demands is to decrease the number of planes that come to Majorca.”
Despite the backlash Menys Turisme Més Vida and similar organisations have received from international media, some locals and those in the travel trade, Pere believes their protests have had a positive impact.
“With this kind of protests, we’re getting something good because of the debate we create. When I was a child, no more than 15 years ago, when you go to some beach and some local markets it was different. Now many local markets are focused on tourists; in some spaces and specific beaches it is impossible to park the car or spend the day because it’s full,” said Pere, who has lived in Majorca for his whole life.
“Tourists are changing our lifestyles. Some people have been pushed out and live in caravans.”
A debate is currently underway as to how campaigners should protest this summer. It may involve marches of 40,000 people or more and, in a duplication of last year’s targeting of beaches in Majorca, Menorca and Tenerife, noisy seaside protests. In one march last July 10,000 protesters hit the streets of Majorca, walking with models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading “no to mass tourism” and “stop private jets”. In a separate beach protest, sunbathers were surrounded by marchers.
“We hope to do the same as occupy the beaches in places that have a mass of tourists. There will also be one big day of protests, although we don’t know when this will be. It may be on 5 April when there will be national protests on housing prices. Our capacity to mobilize people was important last year. We had two protests of more than 20,000 persons and 40,000 in one of them,” Pere said.
Last month Menys Turisme Més Vida announced that it would “intensify” its actions in response to an announcement of a billion-euro investment into the tourist sector.