Venice, Barcelona, Mallorca: these popular tourist destinations are not only beautiful, but also overcrowded. So extreme that anger has long been spreading among the locals . Majorcans are protesting vehemently against mass tourism: “We want to remember, even if only for a few hours, that the beach belongs to all Majorcans,” activist Eloy told the newspaper “Diario de Mallorca.” With banners such as “Occupy our beaches” or simply “Enough” they drew attention to their anger on Ballermann beach over the weekend. “The action is not directed against them, but against the tourism model,” Eloy explained.
Demonstrations have been going on in Mallorca for months
Such actions on the beaches have occurred several times on the favorite holiday island of many Germans: tens of thousands of people took part in two peaceful demonstrations in Palma against the excesses of tourism in May and June. In other tourist centers too of Spain There have been protests. Critics complain mainly about the high cost of living and the lack of affordable housing due to the massive influx of vacationers.
In summer, over a million holidaymakers invade the island of Gotland
Now that also counts Sweden to travel destinations that are increasingly groaning under the onslaught of tourists. According to Eurostat data, tourism especially in western Sweden has doubled in recent years, reports the “ Daily mirror “. Resistance is particularly strong on the island of Gotland among the approximately 61,000 inhabitants.
The problem: In the summer months, the nearly 3,000-square-meter island in the Baltic Sea is overrun by a million vacationers. “July is absolutely disgusting,” one island resident complained to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Their demand: a limit on the number of tourists on the island. Especially in July, crowds of young vacationers from Stockholm flock to the island for a week of partying.
Accommodation in Gotland is sometimes more expensive than in the city of Malmö
Not only do the resulting noise and dirt cause problems not only for residents, but also for the real estate market. Here, too, living space is reserved or rented to locals only for the off-season months, only to be able to rent it to tourists for a short time in the summer at a high price – a lucrative business. This is devastating for Gotland, complained a resident of Visby, the largest city on the island, to the public television SVT, the “Tagesspiegel” reports. ” further. Prices per square meter are sometimes higher than in the city of Malmö, which has always been one of Sweden’s largest cities.
Environmental problems caused by tourism – water shortages in summer
Similar to southern Europe, Gotland also experiences a water shortage in the summer due to the influx of tourists. Due to the low groundwater level, visitors are even encouraged to bathe in the Baltic Sea instead of showering, the “Tagesspiegel” reports. A researcher in sustainable tourism is therefore in favor of introducing an environmental tax “to ensure continued funding for nature conservation and protection.”