Majorca fury as 10,000-strong protest erupts to stop ‘another Magaluf’ | Travel News | Travel
Thousands of protesters have gathered at one of Majorca’s most popular beaches to demand greater protection of the island’s coastline, warning it could be “another Magaluf”.
Nearly 10,000 people took to the sea at S’Arenal de sa Ràpita in a massive demonstration against what campaigners described as the threat of overtourism and overdevelopment.
The protest saw demonstrators forming a large human chain across the water, calling for stronger protections for natural areas and opposing changes to planning rules they fear could lead to new hotels, apartments, car parks, power lines and sand extraction.
Environmental groups, including GOB, Terraferida and the Menys Turisme Menys Vida platform (“Less tourism, more life”), organized the event on the beach, which forms part of the Es Trenc natural area.
Campaigners say they are concerned the new regulations could weaken protections around Es Trenc and allow large-scale tourism projects to expand.
Rejecting politicians’ assurances that the region would remain protected, the protesters chanted slogans: “Who wants Majorca, but does not destroy it?”
They also called for “concrete and urgent measures in the public interest” instead of what they described as empty promises.
GOB vice president Tonina Siquier said the show was a “resounding success” that exceeded expectations.
He said campaigners had gathered in Es Trenc to defend the natural environment and regretted having to stage such protests, which he described as more typical in previous decades.
The demonstration was reminiscent of previous campaigns held in 1977, 1983, 1990 and 2012.
According to the Daily Mail, the head of the Balearic government, Marga Prohens, described the claims that the region lacks protection as “hoax”, while Minister of Agriculture Joan Simonet recorded a video from the region promising that the beach will remain protected.
But protest groups have argued that the new legal framework could still allow construction and tourism activities to increase.
In a manifesto they said: “No matter how Minister Simonet makes videos promising that not a single square meter of Es Trenc will be left unprotected, the truth is that this new legal framework is specifically prepared to fill Es Trenc with constructions, beach bars, car parks, beach services and all kinds of tourist uses.”
The groups have warned that allowing greater flexibility in planning rules could eventually lead to apartments, hotels and other tourist facilities being built.
“A S’Arenal in Campos and a Magaluf in the south of the island. That’s what they want,” they said.
The Menys Turisme Menys Vida movement has previously organized large-scale demonstrations, including a protest in Palma on July 21, 2024, attended by approximately 50,000 people, calling for limiting the growth of tourism.
Campaigners used symbolic actions such as barricades, illuminated messages on buildings and models of planes and cruise ships to highlight concerns about the impact of mass tourism.
The latest demonstration is part of a wider wave of anti-overtourism protests across Spain.
Earlier this year, activists announced plans to demonstrate in Palma, while campaigners staged protests outside landmark buildings including the city’s cathedral.
A new march was planned for July 26, following previous demonstrations in which activists gathered with drums in the city center after the rallies ended.
“We cannot cope with any more tourists,” said Menys Turisme Menys Vida spokesman David Comas.
He claimed that Majorca had become a “theme park” where young people struggled to become independent due to difficulties finding affordable housing.
The Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands have been among the main centers of anti-tourism protests over the past two years, but similar demonstrations have also taken place in Barcelona and Malaga.
Some foreign visitors faced hostility during the protests, including Palma holidaymakers who were booed and jeered while dining in a local square in May 2024. Officials later apologized.
Other demonstrations include activists spraying water on a tourist bus outside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and protesters entering a party beach in Majorca carrying anti-tourism banners.
