British sunseekers are scrapping plans to visit Majorca and are asking whether they’ll be safe on the island amid ongoing protests, a leading holiday company in the region claims.
Habtur Balears, a holiday rentals company in The Balearic Islands, says it has received numerous enquiries from Britons asking if Majorca is “dangerous” at the moment, and voicing fears they could be targeted by anti-tourism demonstrators, Diario de Mallorca reports.
Maria Gilbert, manager at the firm, told the local paper: “Long-standing clients who have been coming to Majorca for years and had already made their reservation this year have called – after seeing the news – to cancel.”
She said even calls from German and British travellers, who have long visited the island in droves, had an air of concern: “We get questions asking us if it’s dangerous to go to Majorca, are they going to hurt us?”, Ms Gilbert said.
Yoann Blanc, co-owner of tourist accommodation management firm Alquilair, wrote on social media: “We’ve been receiving calls for weeks now from guests who are worried about the news of tourism-phobia.
“A few days ago a family who were in a holiday rental property in Bunyola found the windshield on their hire car covered with stickers saying ‘Tourist go home,'” he said.
Blanc said the hire car incident was “worrying”, adding: “I don’t know what will happen next. What’s going on this summer is becoming an emotional issue.”
They warned the disruptions would continue until the local government takes action to curb tourist access to the islands.
The group demanded immediate measures to address the housing emergency, with accomodation becoming increasingly unaffordable for residents in tourist hubs.
They’ve officially formed as an association and have notified the Government Delegation in the Balearics about the protest.
Majorca is cutting the number of tourist beds by 18,000 in a bid to address local concerns, with officials saying coexistence between visitors and residents is “at risk” due to the congestion.
The Balearic Islands are also upping curbs on street drinking and with further restrictions for party boats to discourage rowdy behaviour and noise.
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