If you use the hashtag Mallorca on Instagram, you will get almost 15 million photos and videos.
Most of the pictures are Geotaggedand shows where you can take the same photo in the same place.
This has sparked outrage among locals. More than 1,000 posters bearing the message “Don't mark this beach, you bitch!” have been found all over the Spanish holiday island.
According to Virginia Mall, who is behind the campaign, one simple Instagram geotag can lead to millions of views and attract more tourists to the island.
“We created the campaign to restore the peace that we, tourists and non-tourists, had before Instagram,” Virginia Moll tells VG.
As the peak season approaches, you feel anxious.
“We are having a hard time,” says Moll. “As locals, we are having trouble finding housing and we are having difficulty getting to work because of traffic conditions.”
Thousands protest against mass tourism
Last month, up to 10,000 people gathered in Mallorca to protest the negative consequences of tourism.
Protesters point to high housing prices and crowded streets as a major burden on local residents.
“We as a community decided to take action,” says Jorge Rodriguez, also a member of the Banc de Temps de Sencelles, the network behind the demonstration.
– In recent years, we have seen many neighbors and friends forced to move out of the city. “It is very sad that the neighbors we receive every day on the streets have to leave because they cannot afford the ever-increasing rents,” Rodriguez tells VG.
Protest on the beach
On Sunday, June 16, about 300 people gathered on Calo de Pleasure beach to express their frustration with tourists.
Videos of people dancing with slogans like “Let's occupy our beaches” quickly went viral on X.
– It's an area that has suffered greatly from the “Instagram effect,” says Marga Bruhins, president of the Balearic Islands. IB3 Newspaper.
The crowd must have been mobilized via social media. Local police arrived at the scene and reportedly arrested several people.
– The frustration has increased.
Frustration with tourists has been around since the early days, says Ingeborg Nordbo of USN. Charter flights It started in the 1960s, but has peaked in recent years.
– Frustration is growing more and more, and has become widespread lately. This has a clear connection with services like Airbnb and investors buying apartments, Ingeborg Nordbø, associate professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, tells VG.
At the same time, more people are going to resorts as well. All IncludedWhich means tourism revenues mostly end up with the big chains, according to Nordbø.
“Things are going well for those who run the industry, but it may not be profitable for the locals,” says Nordbo.
She points to Barcelona in Spain and the Amalfi Coast in Italy as well-known examples of destinations that have been severely affected by development.
From 2028, Barcelona will ban tourists from renting apartments in the city, according to reports. Reuters.
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