Brits visiting Majorca for 20yrs ‘no longer feel welcome’ | World | News

A British tourist has revealed that she and her family feel inclined to find a new holiday destination after no longer feeling welcome on the beautiful island of Majorca following an upsetting incident last week. 

In a published letter to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the Brit wrote: “Myself, my husband and our children and now grandchildren have been holidaying in Majorca for over 20 years and have always loved the island. 

“Through the online Daily Bulletin we have been very saddened by the anti tourism demonstrations we have read about.”

Majorca, along with many of the popular tourist destinations in Spain including the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Malaga, and other Balearic Islands, have been the subject of a string of protests against over-tourism since April. 

As many as 50,000 people across the Canary Islands took part in coordinated protests against excessive tourism, which, the campaigners argue, has damaged the population’s quality of life and the islands’ environment. 

In May, around 10,000 people protested in Palma, the capital of Majorca, with other protests occurring elsewhere on the island as well as on the smaller Balearics of Menorca and Ibiza.

In July, a protest in Barcelona, attended by around 3,000 people, saw some hotel exits sealed with tape and tourists sprayed with water guns. Another large protest in Palma coincided with the start of the British school summer holidays on July 21. 

One of the concerns of residents and local governments is the unequal distribution of tourists across the country, with the vast majority descending on only certain areas or resorts. This appeared to be the case for the Brit.

She wrote: “Although there are many parts of the island that we like, we do tend to be drawn back to the Portixol/Molinar district. Indeed we have stayed at The Portixol Hotel on so many occasions we now think of many of the staff as friends.

The Brit added, however, that her daughter “who calls Majorca her spiritual home” and her husband were the victim of an upsetting incident during a visit last weekend.

She claimed the pair “were stopped by a female in a car near the Portixol Hotel. The driver asked where our daughter and son-in-law were from. When they answered the UK, she shouted at them ‘Tourists go home’ and drove off at speed.

“This was extremely distressing. Our daughter is pregnant and had been so excited that her baby was on its ‘first visit to Majorca’ with many more to come after the birth and as it grows up.”

‘Tourists go home’ has been one of the chants used by protesters in recent months, including during the Barcelona demonstration in July. The protesters have been calling for limits to be placed on tourism, arguing the influx of visitors was driving up living costs for residents. 

“Although I accept the issue of high rents and housing shortages for local people it should also be pointed out that visits such as ours help to boost the economy and employment,” argued the Brit. 

The Brit concluded their letter by saying after returning home and reflecting on the event, “with very heavy hearts we feel inclined to find a new destination to visit in the future. We no longer feel welcome on the beautiful island of Majorca.”

This sentiment is shared by many Brits. One told GB News: “We’ve been going to Tenerife twice a year for many years, but never again – just booked two weeks in the Caribbean for February 2025. Hopefully, they will appreciate us a little more.”