Menorca town sees one in three local backing ‘tourist ban’ | World | News
Local residents in a beautiful Menorca fishing village are increasingly in favour of a total ban on tourists, as anger over mass tourism grows.
With its low-whitewashed buildings, narrow stone alleyways and labyrinthine staircases, the village Binibeca Vell has acquired the nickname of the Mykonos of Menorca.
The tiny village of 246 people – a replica of a 1960s fishing community – sees more than 800,000 visitors per year.
However, complaints about the intrusive behaviour of tourists have been on the rise for years, forcing community leaders to finally bring in strict new rules.
One of the new regulations has imposed a limit to visiting hours, with tourists now allowed access to the island for 12 hours between 10am and 10pm.
On Friday, residents voted on whether they should put a cap on the number of visitors, or ban them altogether.
And according to one local, as many as one in three people (30 percent) wanted a complete ban on tourists.
Oscar Monge, President of the Community of Property Owners, said on Saturday: “Around 30 percent of the owners wanted to close permanently to tourists but the civic behaviour of visitors helped persuade people that the current partial closure is sufficient.”
Residents have often complained that tourists fail to respect their privacy and have even stolen items from their homes.
One told the news website ElDiario.es: “[Tourists] went into homes, they sat on chairs, they take things, climb on our walls, they have outdoor drinking parties. If this isn’t regulated, it will happen every summer.”
In videos shared by Binibeca locals on Instagram, hordes of tourists can be seen cramming into the village’s narrow streets, infringing on residents’ peace and privacy.
One clip, which was taken on Friday morning just hours before the vote was set to take place, shows a never-ending line of tourists slowly walking down a narrow alleyway.
In the same clip holidaymakers are seen gathering on some steps, while others take photos of the buildings and views on their phones.
The caption for the video says: “Not everything that glitters on the internet is gold. We call this Instagram tourism.”
Monge, 51, has previously questioned whether the villagers get any real benefits from tourism.
In May he told local media: “We have been a private urbanisation for 52 years, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to enjoy a quiet holiday, as we pay dearly for being the most popular tourist attraction in Menorca.
“Binibeca is promoted by the administration and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get out of it?”
According to local media, the Council of Menorca and Sant Lluís Town Council provide just over €25,000 (£21,440) annually to residents to fund the maintenance of their houses and ensure the village’s picture-postcard appearance.
