A hospitality boss has issued a stark warning to UK tourists: if Majorca's holidaymaker boom does not subside, the island 'will collapse'. Bartolomé Servera, president of the food and beverage distributors association, declared holiday rentals 'the root of all evil' as the popular Balearic Island faces mounting pressure from record visitor numbers.
Record Visitor Numbers and Local Strain
Majorca consistently ranks as one of Britain's favourite travel destinations, with 2.7 million tourists arriving in May alone. The surge in footfall is straining regional services and infrastructure, sparking growing local hostility. Servera told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: 'If the politicians don't get it right and Majorca doesn't stop growing, it will collapse. I don't know how they're going to solve it, but something has to be done, and absolutely nothing is being done.'
Housing Crisis and Holiday Rentals
The housing shortage is a key concern. According to the annual bulletin of Spain's Housing and Land Observatory, only 1.35% of housing stock in the Balearic Islands is currently available. The report attributes the lack of available stock to a shortage of new development projects, with those being pushed through generally high-end and unattainable for locals. Servera added: 'The housing shortage is very worrying... for me, holiday rentals are the root of all evil. I worked as a tour guide in the 1960s, when tourists came in an orderly fashion, and these problems didn't exist.'
Anti-Tourism Protests Escalate
Frustrated residents have staged numerous protests in the Balearics and cities across Spain, calling on local authorities to tackle the trend. While the tourist hordes appeared temporarily discouraged by local animosity, demand has not been dented in the longer term. Fresh action is expected next month, as the Menys Turisme Mes Vida group (translating to 'Less Tourism More Life') plots a 'historic turnout' on the streets of Majorca's capital, Palma, on July 26. Previous demonstrations attracted an estimated 15,000 supporters in Palma in May 2024, where tourists were booed and jeered as they ate dinner, forcing organisers to issue a formal apology.
