Authorities told TTG on Wednesday (29 May) they would take “all the necessary measures” to avert disruption at Palma’s Son Sant Joan airport and to thwart protests it deems to risk relations between residents and tourists.
"We respect all opinions, all opinions are legitimate,” said a government spokesperson. “But we do not support protests that are not carried out in a legal way.
“The Balearic government will implement all the necessary measures to avoid issues that could alter the coexistence between residents and tourists or that could affect the correct development of the airport’s day-to-day operations.”
The government’s comments come after anti-tourism campaign group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida – Less Tourism, More Life – threatened to halt operations at the airport, which is Spain’s third-busiest.
According to local media, the plans to protest were made public earlier this month during an assembly exploring the effects of overtourism. Tourism minister Jaume Bauza Mayol compared the group’s tactics to those of Catalan protest group Democratic Tsunami.
“This proposal to halt Son Sant Joan airport is something that has no place in the society we live in today,” the government added.
The comments also come a day after coalition party Mes per Majorca saw its motion to cut the number of flights and passengers to the Balearics between April and September fail.
The proposal called for airport operating hours to be reduced and expansion plans halted, as well as an end to all private flights to Balearic islands.
"Majorca is no longer overcrowded, Majorca is collapsing,” said Mes per Mallorca MP Ferran Rosa on Tuesday (28 May). “We don’t live off tourism, we suffer from it and it is essential to adopt urgent and forceful measures to reduce tourism today.”
Maria Jose Verdu, an MP for the right-wing Vox party, said the measures would have “a catastrophic effect” on the local economy, with 30% of the islands’ GDP coming from tourism.
“Tourism represents a fundamental part of our economy, generating thousands of jobs and revenue for our islands," said Verdu.
In recent months, Spain’s tourist hotspots have endured a wave of protests, with tens of thousands of people marching against the perceived negative impact of tourism on housing and living costs.
Starting in the Canary Islands earlier this year, the sentiment has spread to the Balearics, where thousands of people took to the streets at the weekend in Majorca and Ibiza.
To strike a better balance between the needs of residents and those of tourists, the regional government has strengthened measures dating to 2020 to tighten up rules around street drinking in specific areas of the islands.
