Up to 1,000 protesters have marched against mass tourism in Ibiza amid a backlash against drunken UK holidaymakers.
Activists held banners reading “We don’t want a concrete island” and “Tourism, yes, but not like this” as they gathered outside the island’s council headquarters.
Last night’s noisy protest began at 8:00 p.m. in Ibiza city and another will take place this afternoon in Palma, the capital of Mallorca.
Tonight’s march will attract thousands of people and is expected to become the largest of its kind since last month’s protests in the Canary Islands.
The organizers of the Ibiza demonstration, a group called Prou Eivissa, which literally translates as ‘Enough of Ibiza’, met with the president of Ibiza, Vicent Mari, before taking to the streets.
Tourist hotspots such as Palma, Llucmajor and Magaluf in Mallorca and San Antonio in Ibiza have stepped up efforts to curb rowdy behavior by increasing fines for drinking in the street, banning shops from selling alcohol at night and restricting parties on boats.
Activists held banners reading “We don’t want a concrete island” and “Tourism, yes, but not like this” as they gathered outside the island’s council headquarters.
Last night’s noisy protest began at 8:00 p.m. in Ibiza city and another is planned this afternoon in the Majorcan capital, Palma.
The organizers of the Ibiza demo, a group called Prou Eivissa – which literally translates to ‘Enough of Ibiza’ – met with the president of Ibiza, Vicent Mari, before taking to the streets.
The protesters’ demands include a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ money to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
In a bid to toughen the islands’ 2020 legislation, partygoers now face penalties of between €500 and €1,500 (£430 and £1,290) if their drinking on the street “disrupts coexistence, generates crowds or deteriorates the tranquility of the environment.
The protesters’ demands include a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ money to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
At the end of the protest, a letter was read from a woman born in Ibiza that linked her decision to leave the island with her family and move to the peninsula to a “destructive” tourism model that had led to “more cars, more tourists and more discourtesy.” .
In the run-up to yesterday afternoon’s protest, organizers said: “We are completely fed up with not adequately addressing the complaints of so many citizens about the dire consequences of selfish mass tourism that ignores the future of the island.”
‘Our beautiful island is in danger. Tourist crowds not only affect our quality of life, but also the beauty and authenticity that make Ibiza such a special place.
‘Tourist overcrowding makes the cost of living unaffordable for many residents.
‘We fight for an Ibiza where we can all live with dignity. It is time to speak out and protect our home.”
The protest comes a month after thousands of people in the Canary Islands took to the streets of the Atlantic archipelago to demonstrate against the problems caused by mass tourism and demand that their politicians take action.
At the end of the protest, a letter from a woman born in Ibiza was read that linked her decision to leave the island with her family and move to the peninsula to a ‘destructive’ tourism model. In the photo: The port and the old town of Ibiza.
Protesters packed Weyler Square in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, the starting point of a march on the popular British tourist island.
A woman raises her fist as she hits the streets in protest against tourism levels on the holiday islands.
Government officials in Tenerife, where protesters held banners reading: “You enjoy, we suffer” and “Tourism moratorium now”, said around 30,000 people had participated, but organizers put the number at 80,000.
This afternoon, a platform called Banc del Temps has organized a separate protest against “tourist overcrowding” in the center of Palma under the slogan “Mallorca is not for sale.”
The idea of an airport protest during the peak tourist season, which would involve jamming Palma airport with cars, was discussed at a brainstorming session just over a week ago organized by the Menys Turisme association, which translates to English as “Less tourism, more life.”
Mass protests in front of hotels and on beaches were also proposed as proposals at a citizen assembly attended by more than 300 people.
In recent months, anti-tourist graffiti has appeared in both Mallorca and Tenerife.
Some foreign tourists have shown their support for the issues raised by the activists, but others have accused them of biting the hand that feeds them.
Overnight, a British tourist celebrating her birthday in San Antonio’s noisy West End said the regional government’s stricter restrictions designed to promote responsible tourism were “stupid.”
They cover the party area, as well as the Magaluf party area, Punta Ballena, and include a ban on drinking in the street, as well as night-time closure orders for shops selling alcohol.
Tourist hotspots such as Palma, Llucmajor and Magaluf in Mallorca and San Antonio in Ibiza have stepped up efforts to curb rowdy behavior by increasing fines for street drinking.
The new rules include a ban on drinking parties in public places, graffiti, scooters and even nudism and semi-nudism. In the photo: revelers in Mallorca
A hen party enjoys a night on the town in Mallorca this weekend, as rules come into force
Party boats can no longer come within one nautical mile (1,852 km) of designated areas and have been prohibited from picking up or dropping off passengers.
Shops selling alcohol in “excessive tourism” areas must now close completely between 9.30pm and 8am, rather than simply stopping selling alcohol between those hours.
The strict rules, which also prohibit tourists from hosting public drinking parties, painting graffiti, riding scooters and showing nudity, will remain in place until at least December 2027, by which time the government hopes the law will no longer be necessary. .
A spokesperson for Prou Eivissa stated: ‘We don’t want any tourism but we want different tourism.
‘We want some controls. “We want to get our beautiful island back.”