Overview
- Menys Turisme Més Vida has formally set a 7pm demonstration in Palma on July 26 and says about 53 local social, environmental, union and neighbourhood groups back the call for a large turnout.
- The campaign says Majorca is at its limit because of housing loss, overcrowding and pressure on services, and organisers timed the protest to highlight fears that the August 12 eclipse will further swell visitor numbers.
- Recent tactics around the islands have included anti‑tourist graffiti, overnight vandalism of estate agents, reports of Airbnb key boxes being glued shut and, in the Canary Islands, a reported 'kill a tourist' slogan that has raised alarm.
- Local authorities and tourism bodies warn the planned protests could disrupt summer travel and business, and past Palma demonstrations in 2024 required police intervention to disperse noisy or confrontational crowds.
- The dispute sits against a backdrop of record tourism and economic dependence — the Balearics host about 13 million visitors a year and Spain recorded roughly 94 million tourists in 2024 — and could push calls for measures such as visitor caps, taxes or moratoria.