The "Menys Turisme Més Vida" platform (Less Tourism More Life) has responded to the open letter sent by the Fomento del Turismo (Mallorca Tourist Board) to national and international media which said that any negative effects of tourism must be addressed collectively but without demonising the sector as a whole. The letter revived an old slogan: "A tourist, a friend."
The group has described this as "anachronistic, retrograde, and outdated". One of the spokespeople, Margalida Ramis of the environmentalists GOB, believes the board's approach "is like going back to the 1980s". "Tourism has changed significantly since then and has disrupted both our society and the region. In the midst of a debate about how to make tourism compatible with the well-being of society, this approach seems very retrograde."
At a meeting on Thursday, details were finalised for the June 15 protest against overtourism. The Palma protest will be one of several in various southern European cities on June 15.
Ramis said on Thursday that this summer will provide many reasons for public discontent with overtourism: "We are facing another summer of record tourist numbers, with none of the announced policies having brought about significant change. On the contrary, we are getting worse with more promotion and more visitors."
She added: "People often get tired of going out to protest when they see that it doesn't translate into change. But for us, the streets will always be a means of pressure to demonstrate people's discontent, especially during the tourism season."