Anti-tourism campaigns in Majorca have been ramped up this year in an attempt to discourage rowdy visitors from the Spanish island.
Launched by the Majorcan communication agency, La Indis, last year, the campaign aims to urge locals to not reveal the island’s beauty spots, including its famous beaches in an attempt to control the swarms of tourists which pose serious consequences to those that live there.
Bright red stickers with the line “Don’t tag this beach, b***ch!” have been spotted around beach entrances, as well as in peoples’ cars and business windows.
The campaign aims to “promote a true social debate on the problem of overcrowding”, said La Indis director Virginia Moll, arguing that “Our paradise can no longer give more of itself. Being sustainable is not just about not harming the environment but understanding that posting a beautiful photo has drastic consequences for the environment”.
Speaking on the rising popularity of the campaign, she continued: “Several businesses from different parts of the island have been interested, such as the Bonaire 15 store in Binissalem, which already distributes them”.
They have already been spotted in areas such as Son Serra and Cala Major.
Every weekend, a pile of stickers is left outside the La Indis office and by Monday they are all gone, the agency claimed. So far, they have printed 1,000 stickers and distributed over half to locals.
They are also available to download free of charge in any format on their social media. They also launched a hashtag campaign that locals could use. La Indis said that just one tag could result in millions of Instagram views and that “the problem isn’t that people can’t find space to lay their towels, it is a problem with very serious consequences for the local population,” when speaking to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
“Over affects us residents first by making it more expensive and worsening our quality of life, but tourists are also harmed”, said a local to Ultima Hora.
It is not just Majorca that is affected by overtourism. Last week, a Menorca holiday village, Binibeca Vell, which has been dubbed the “Spanish Mykonos” threatened to ban all tourists after previously telling them to only visit between 11am and 8pm so they could enjoy their breakfasts.
The Balearic Islands also introduced a ban on the sale of alcohol between 9.30pm and 8am to crack down on ‘low-quality tourism’. This included Llucmajor, Palma and Calvia in Majorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza.
Prou Eivissa – “Enough Ibiza” – said it welcomes those wanting to enjoy local culture, beaches and that “We are only against the massification of the type of tourism attracted to our island. The island is saturated, especially with illegal renting and our 572 square kilometres cannot take anymore,” said spokesperson Xaquelina Ana Perry.
Disdain for tourists has also been seen in the appearance of graffiti in tourist hotspots. “Go Home Tourist” was written across a wall in Nou Lleant, Majorca, and “My misery your paradise” on a bench in southern Tenerife. The tyres of cars with British number plates were also slashed in Marbella last year.