Mallorca locals are protesting overtourism, but I had the best family holiday

As anti-tourism protests raged, this traveller wasn't sure what to expect on a planned trip to a Spanish hotspot. It ended up being the holiday of a lifetime. 

If you’ve been planning a trip to Spain’s Balearic Islands, you might be concerned by the reports of disgruntled locals demonstrating against overtourism.

I have to admit, we did wonder whether we’d made the right decision to book a family holiday to Mallorca, in the middle of peak-season August as we gazed at footage of thousands of residents marching in Palma, with signs saying “Take back your drunks” and “Stop cruise ships”.

Now, we’re neither drunk (excess these days is ordering an extra ice-cream), nor did we arrive on a cruise, but, nevertheless, it did give us some pause for thought.

The temper of the Spanish locals has risen as high as the temperature – that is, scorching. The main complaint is the rise of unregulated Airbnbs, forcing up prices for long-term rentals and squeezing out locals. It’s happening in tourist hotspots all over the world, from Byron Bay to Cornwall in Britain, but especially Spanish holiday destinations, including Mallorca, the Canary Islands and Barcelona.

Protesters hold signs reading 'Let's save Mallorca' and 'Foreigners out'.

An “occupy our beaches” initiative saw demonstrators storm a Palma beach, shooing off surprised German sunbathers. They told the Majorca Daily Bulletin they wanted to return to the island of the 1970s, when visitors came for “clean beaches with friendly and welcoming residents”, rather than today’s drunken holiday-makers in all-inclusive resorts.

I totally understand the residents’ issues and as someone who usually tries to travel in the opposite direction to crowds, I was anxious about the rising tension, but with a young family, we are committed to holidaying in the school holidays. We’d also booked the trip months ago, so couldn’t change our plans.

“Tell me why are we going there, again?” asked my husband as we watched the news in dismay.

Cala Esmeralda Beach on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

However, our fears were unfounded. We went, we had a wonderful time and were made more than welcome. In fact, we had one of the best family holidays ever, with an emphasis on relaxing and spending quality time together.

We rented a fabulous villa with a pool, through a tried-and-trusted travel company, Vintage Travel. It was in the quiet north of the island, between the historic and upmarket city Pollença and the Roman-walled old town Alcúdia. We’d sightsee in the morning, then head to our pool in the afternoon, before going out to dinner in local restaurants. Everywhere we went, people were friendly and we didn’t encounter any real crowds, or any real drunks.

Not that they weren’t there, of course – you do have to position yourself right if you’re not there to party. Like Bali, Mallorca offers every level of accommodation – from a growing number of high-end resorts such as the Son Brull hotel and spa, and Virgin’s new Son Bunyola to boutique hotels and villas, and long coastal strips of all-inclusive hotels, bars and nightclubs, the most notorious of which is in party central Magaluf.

The historic town of Pollenca on the island of Mallorca,

All we encountered were family-focused visitors enjoying lovely beaches and restaurants. And I think that’s the key – travel anywhere respectfully, enjoy the region, put money into the local economy and everyone wins.

As residents articulate, the last thing they want is for all the tourists to leave, because the economy would collapse. But there has to be a balance – when visitors overwhelm any area and tip the scales so nobody can afford to live there, then something has to give. To put overtourism into figures, this year 20 million tourists are estimated to visit the Balearics, which have 1.2 million residents.

Picturesque Calo des Moro beach on the island of Mallorca.

“Your paradise, our hell,” protesters in the Canary Islands said during a demonstration in April. In July, Barcelona residents squirted tourists with water pistols and brandished “Tourists go home” banners.

Regional governments are taking steps to calm overtourism. Barcelona officials closed the cruise terminal at the bottom of La Rambla and capped ship arrivals, something Dubrovnik did previously. And earlier this year, Venice introduced a daily entry fee of €5.

We can also take responsibility and visit in shoulder or off-seasons if possible, stay in guesthouses and hotels rather than unregulated apartments, and go ashore from cruises independently, so locals benefit.

Originally published as Mallorca locals are protesting overtourism, but I had the best family holiday