Residents of Mallorca, Spain, as well as people visiting the island on holiday, have been giving their opinions on the anti-tourism protests that have erupted in several holiday hotspots this year
People living in Mallorca have revealed what they really think about tourists following the “go home” protests that have erupted across Spain this year.
Demonstrations against the tourism industry have been rife in Spain’s sunny holiday hotspots, with thousands taking to the streets on both the mainland and in the Balearic Islands. Holding banners and spraying graffiti that reads “tourist go home”, locals are furious at rising rent prices that have come as a result of properties being bought up for touristic purposes.
Andrew McVey, a Brit who now lives in Mallorca, recently went out and about to ask people what they thought of the protests, sharing their responses in a video on his YouTube channel Loving Life Mallorca.
Marga, a local who works in a hotel reception, told him: “We need it [tourism]. I work at the reception, I love guests. I love England too. And we are very happy that they are coming here […] the tourists, we are living off them. We have to take care of them!”
Alex and Eric, both students from Mallorca’s capital Palma, told him they “like” tourists coming to the island. They also said they have found work in the tourism industry.
Turning his attention to tourists themselves, Andrew spoke to Paul and Rita from Belfast and asked whether they felt safe on the island. Paul told him: “We heard about it [the protests] from the press and were a wee bit worried before we came, but when we came here we found Palma to be grand. No problem. And at the resort, no problems there. There’s not an issue.”
Vlad and Cleo, from Romania, explained they had visited Barcelona at the start of the summer, and had a very different experience there compared to in Mallorca. Vlad said: “It was a bit harsh there. It was like, ‘Get out of here’, but people here are welcoming.”
Alec, visiting Palma from New York, was asked: “Do you feel welcome?” He told Andrew: “Absolutely. Not one instance have we felt unwelcome. Everyone has been very hospitable and very kind.”
