The Balearic Islands government will create an online platform through which the people of Mallorca can submit ideas and suggestions to tackle the growth of tourism on the island. As part of this, a new committee has been set up called the “Committee for the Social and Political Pact for the Economic Sustainability of the Balearic Islands”.
Together with more than a hundred organisations, the aim is to find solutions to overcrowding in Mallorca. According to the government, the aim is to involve civil society in a debate that directly concerns it and to include it in a process aimed at transforming the tourism model.
This form of public participation will be complemented by a large-scale survey, which is expected to be launched after the summer.
The Balearic Government is insisting on collecting data on the views of local people’s concerns before taking any measures to address over-tourism. This is expected to help provide an objective picture of the situation in the Balearics.
The Governor of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, has acknowledged that the tourism model of the island cluster “has reached its limits” and cannot be developed any further and has announced that she will open spaces for dialogue to address this issue.
Amid the debate about overpopulation in the Balearic Islands, INE reports that the population of the islands has increased by almost 20,000 since 1 April 2023, with an average of 54 new residents per day.
“In 2000, the Balearic Islands were in 49th place, i.e. among the 50 richest regions in Europe, with increased prosperity and quality of life, and now they are very much lagging behind, close to 138th,” says economist Antoni Riera, in an attempt to give a true picture of the islands. In fact, he is reportedly the man behind the creation of the website and the coordinator of the working groups for the new tourism model in the region.
