<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - tourism]]> 10 <![CDATA[Pumpkins and songs]]> The results of the PISA tests have been a colossal bucket of ice water that everyone, naturally, is more than willing to forget as soon as possible. The reality, however, is that the Balearic Islands appear buried at the very bottom: if the Spanish state has results in Reading and Mathematics below the average of the OECD and the European Union, the Balearic Islands are the community with the worst results in the Spanish state. That is to say, at the tail end of the tail end. To explain it with concrete examples, the results obtained by the Balearic Islands in PISA imply that many students do not have the minimum competencies to –to quote the report– “interpret and recognize, without direct instructions, how a simple situation can be represented mathematically; for example, comparing the total distance between two alternative routes or converting prices to another currency”. Regarding Reading, they are also not in a position –to quote the report again– “to identify the main idea of a text of moderate length, find information based on explicit criteria, even if sometimes complex, or reflect on the purpose of the texts when explicitly instructed to do so”. For any country, a situation like this is simply devastating. A society based on such low educational levels is destined to suffer abuses and deceptions from charlatans, exploiters, unscrupulous people, demagogues, and authoritarians.

]]> <![CDATA[There is already a date for a new protest against Aena and its tourism promotion policy]]>

Palma will return to the streets against the airport's growth. The Platform against the Airport Expansion has joined the mobilizations called for next September 20th in Barcelona and Ibiza to demand that airport expansion projects and tourism promotion policies, which, according to the entities, fuel the growth of visitor arrivals to the Islands, be stopped.

]]> <![CDATA[The perfect storm over the Balearic Islands: The double plunder that leads us to self-hatred]]> Living in the Balearic Islands has become, for the majority of their historical citizens, an almost impossible exercise in resistance. Beneath a layer of blue sky and idyllic postcards for tourists, a dramatic reality beats: the Archipelago suffers from an economic and social pincer designed from the outside that hollows us out from within. On one hand, a Spanish state that keeps our hands and feet tied (with the ‘you more than me’ of generalized corruption); on the other, a European Union that uses us as the playground and luxury residence of its elites (in exchange for European funds directed at national and European strategic points).The result of this formula is the systematic impoverishment of the local population. The double trap: wages from emptied Spain, prices from wealthy Europe.The Balearic plunder cannot be explained without understanding a bloody paradox. The Spanish state maintains a salary structure in the Islands that does not differ from that of the so-called ‘emptied Spain’. It is expected that a teacher, a police officer, or an administrative worker lives in Palma and Ibiza with the same salary they would have in Teruel or Zamora.This lack of real compensation for insularity has caused an administrative and social collapse: State civil servants no longer want to come to the Balearic Islands, because coming means, directly, losing purchasing power and brushing against the threshold of precariousness.While Madrid keeps us tied to wage poverty, Europe presses the accelerator on the cost of living. The legal avalanche of new wealthy residents—coming from northern Europe and half the world—has sent housing and basic service prices soaring to prohibitive levels. We find ourselves trapped in an invisible mousetrap: we earn like in inland Spain, but we pay like in the most opulent Bavaria.Faced with this scenario of asphyxiation, many Balearic families have been forced into a sad reality to survive and emigrate again, or to maintain a minimum standard of living: parting with the family heritage. Selling the grandparents' house, the lifelong land, and the small local business have gone from being an option to being a matter of strict necessity.It is here that the most perverse mechanism of the colonizing machinery is activated. Instead of pointing out the structural causes, the official narrative points to us."You are Phoenicians who would sell your own mother", they throw at us with the condescension of the unintegrated outsider.It is one of the oldest psychological manipulation maneuvers in history: blaming the victim for their own exploitation. The miracle of installing self-hatred in the hearts of the Balearic people has been achieved, making us believe that we are the only ones responsible for this consented plunder.But if there is one element that borders on collective masochism, it is the political behavior in the Islands. As a society, we have not only bought into the narrative of guilt, but we continue to reward at the polls the parties that perpetuate this situation.Political forces of state obedience —especially fueled by the vote of newcomers from the peninsula who often look at the local identity with suspicion— continue to monopolize power. The PP, Vox, the PSIB-PSOE, and Podemos systematically act as branches of Madrid.Even those who presented themselves as the "saviors of the people", like Podemos, have ended up turning their backs on the Balearic people. The latest sign of this betrayal has been the party's rejection (joining other right-wing state blocs) of the bill proposed by MÉS to establish a specific interprofessional minimum wage for the Balearic Islands that is adapted to the actual cost of living here.While the Balearic social fabric is unraveling, the Parliament of the Islands prefers to look the other way and obey the dictates of the offices in Madrid. How long will we apologize for having to sell to survive? How long will we feed with our votes the same parties that condemn us to be second-class citizens in our own land?The first step to stop the looting is, without a doubt, to banish self-hatred and begin to point out, once and for all, the true culprits.

]]> <![CDATA[The Council now wants to promote Mallorca as an oleotourism destination]]>

Although diversification is a utopia when talking about Mallorca's economic model, tourism promotion has indeed made it effective. Beyond sun and beach, the island's institutions talk about cultural tourism, sports tourism, gastronomic tourism, urban tourism... Now it is the turn of oleotourism, a concept that the Council of Mallorca wants to exploit through participation in the Oleotourism Spain project. The island institution announced today that the plenary session has approved the accession to the Spanish Association of Olive Tree Municipalities, the entity promoting Oleotourism Spain. Being part of this entity "allows the Council to advance in the process so that Mallorca becomes an oleotouristic destination and can be part of this state-wide network," the island institution stated through a press release.

]]> <![CDATA["Mallehaters go home": the German song that defends 'Ballermann 6' tourism]]>

A controversial song, in a tone of humor and protest, has been the response from the Germans Honk! and Der Partycrasher to the criticisms from the German citizens themselves against the typical tourism of the Ballermann 6, where the street of the Jamón is located, an area linked to German party and binge-drinking tourism. The title, Mallehater go home, is already a clear statement of intent. The song mixes two concepts: on one hand, the slogan 'go home' and, on the other, 'Malle', the colloquial way in which part of German society refers to Mallorca.

]]> <![CDATA[Ginard demands "seriousness" after the lifting of the veto on airport co-management]]>

The island Minister of Tourism, Guillem Ginard, accuses the PSOE of defending containment in Mallorca and growth in Madrid. After ARA Balears reported this Tuesday the lifting of the veto by the Bureau of the Congress of Deputies on the processing of the Bill for airport co-management approved by the Parliament of the Balearic Islands, Ginard has called for “seriousness” and an in-depth debate on the future of the airport and the tourism model of Mallorca. "We are talking about the island's main economic engine. They cannot ask us to contain tourist activity and listen to the people while the State works in the opposite direction," he warned.

]]> <![CDATA[Tourists with cars have invaded Sóller this summer: it is the municipality in the whole State with the most visits]]>

Sóller has become this summer the most visited municipality in Spain by car by international tourists. This is indicated by a study on parking habits prepared by the mobility platforms EasyPark and Arrive, which places the Valley at the head of the national ranking of preferred destinations for foreign drivers.

]]> <![CDATA[The Government closes the door to an increase in the ecotax]]>

Two more euros in high season. This was the proposal that the Government put on the table in March 2025 to raise the eco-tax. A year and a half later, the Executive does not foresee this option, as stated this Monday by the Minister of Tourism, Jaume Bauzà, after the meeting of the Commission for the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism. "Our efforts are aimed at improving the management of the Sustainable Tourism Tax [ITS]. It is more necessary to manage it than to raise it," said Bauzà, in addition to remarking that the Government is focused on mobilizing and executing the resources generated by the tax.

]]> <![CDATA[The joy of living of the workers of the tourist boom]]>

At 82 years old, Joan Pons Gost from sa Pobla looks at the calluses on his hands and reviews his five decades working as a stonemason. “I learned the trade in 1957, at 13 years old. I had lost my father when I was very young, and to help the family economy, I started as a laborer in different renovations that were being done within the same municipality of sa Pobla. With a cart, they sent me up and down to fetch material. Later they taught me how to make cement and lay blocks.”

]]> <![CDATA[The achievements of Celestí Alomar]]>

Celestí Alomar left us prematurely this week. Taking stock of his time heading the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Balearic Islands (1999-2003), I find that no predecessor or successor has achieved successes comparable to his.

]]> <![CDATA[The Moncloa vetoes the co-management of airports because it would reduce “Aena's income”]]>

The Spanish government vetoes airport co-management, alleging that it could economically harm Aena. The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes sent a text this Friday to the Congressional Bureau in which it refuses to allow the bill for the Islands to be able to decide on their airports to be processed. It argues that this would cause a drop in “Aena’s aeronautical revenues”. With the document, Pedro Sánchez’s executive says ‘no’ to the initiative that would allow the Islands to intervene in the management of arrivals in a context of mass tourism.

]]> <![CDATA[The Government allocates 5.58 million from the ITS to improve the water infrastructures of 11 municipalities of the Serra]]>

The Government will invest 5.58 million euros from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) to reinforce the water cycle infrastructures of eleven municipalities in the Serra de Tramuntana. The actions aim to guarantee supply, increase reserve capacity, reduce leaks, and improve sanitation and drainage networks.

]]> <![CDATA[Convene a large demonstration against the expansion of Ibiza airport]]>

The Association of Youth of Ibiza (AJE) has called a demonstration for next Sunday, September 20, to protest against the expansion of Ibiza airport. The mobilization will begin at 6 p.m. in Vara de Rey and will go through the main streets of the city until reaching the island council, where a manifesto will be read.

]]> <![CDATA[Local character]]> I suppose that when one is away from home, one pays more attention to people's character. A few decades ago, a book called Queridos mallorquines was circulating in Mallorca, attributed to an author named Guy de Forestier. The author was actually a Catalan architect, I believe, who had been living in Mallorca for years and claimed to have discovered the peculiarities of the local character, which he presented with more than questionable grace, but with enough success and re-editions. However, reflections on what marks the local character of peoples or the indigenous people of a certain place are as numerous as the history of anthropology. Thus, Hippocrates, five centuries before Christ, was already trying to think about how climate determines the temperament of peoples. Aristotle wanted to think of the character of the Greeks as a middle ground between the brave people of the north and the Asians, rapacious but without spirit. And since then, we have seen ourselves as the 'good ones', in contrast to the barbarians, or those who have violent customs, but at the same time are austere and reckless. All reflections on 'national characters' are more than questionable, especially because they teach us to see others as clichés, no matter how much statistics or an outside perspective may end up finding common traits. If one travels through Galicia, for example, one might end up agreeing with those who speak of a ‘Galician character’, which would not necessarily be very different from the Mallorcan character, or at least in some of its most notable traits. The famous ‘retranca’ or irony, reserve or tendency to never quite say what one thinks, we can say we also share; the cliché says that if you find a Galician in the middle of a staircase, it’s hard to tell if they are going up or down, partly because they themselves tell you that ‘it depends’. Nor do you need to be an anthropologist or a historian of cultures to realize that the character formed in smallholdings or in very isolated rural communities can end up being very different from that of large urban concentrations. But the fog, the woods, the sea and the shipwrecks, living facing the Atlantic, or the special relationship with death end up defining the character in a very particular way, especially opaque to outsiders, and all this plus the own language make a country elevated on a memory and understandings that are difficult to access. Perhaps the character of a people is not, after all, an essence, but a way of protecting oneself. There are communities that have defended themselves with walls and others with a language, some silences, an irony or a certain distrust of the foreigner. And perhaps it is here where mass tourism is most transformative: not because it brings outsiders, but because it forces insiders to become accessible, friendly, and translatable with Google. A touristified country ends up constantly explaining itself to others and, by dint of explaining itself, runs the risk of simplifying itself to the point of cliché. Perhaps the last privilege of a people is to preserve something that the visitor cannot buy or fully understand: the right to continue being, to some extent, opaque to the eyes of those who are only passing through.   

]]> <![CDATA[The Balearic Islands beat a new record of tourists until July: almost 200,000 more than in 2025]]>

The tourist train continues at full steam in the Balearic Islands, despite citizen protests and political promises and laments. There isn't a year that the Islands don't break records since the pandemic ended, and the data suggests this year will be no exception. This Tuesday, Ibestat released the tourist data up to July: 11,189,324 people, 1.77% more than in the same period last year (from January to July 2025 there were approximately 10,995,000 tourists).

]]> <![CDATA[The Balearic Islands receive 9.16 million international tourists until July, 1.8% more]]>

The Balearic Islands have received 9,164,483 international tourists between January and July 2026, 1.8% more than during the first seven months of last year, according to data from the Frontur and Egatur surveys published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

]]> <![CDATA[Tourism, at the service of whom?]]>

For years we have been breaking tourism records. The problem is that a growing part of the islanders no longer celebrate them. There is no need to explain much why. Housing, saturation, traffic, noise, pressure on services. The demonstrations have only made visible a discontent that has been there for a long time. That is why I believe that the debate is no longer whether we want more or fewer tourists. The debate is who should be at the service of whom.It would be absurd to deny all that tourism has contributed to Islands that owe a large part of their prosperity to it. But it is one thing to acknowledge it, and another to take for granted that the interests of our main industry always coincide with the interests of those of us who live here. A hotelier wants to fill more rooms. A restaurateur, more tables. An airline company, more passengers. It is quite normal. What is no longer so normal is to take for granted that we also need this growth.The question is quite simple. What does a tourist leave us more, what collective costs does their stay generate, and, above all, who pays for them? You only need to look at any tourist area: streets, asphalt, lighting, gardens, sewage, water networks, pumping, waste collection, cleaning, access roads. Many developments grew to accommodate a population that multiplies during a few months, but the town councils have to maintain them all year round. And this pressure has already entered our towns and cities in full force: squares, parking lots, water, cleaning, security, maintenance.Part of this additional capacity ends up being paid for with the same budgets that must meet the needs of those of us who live there all year round. And public money, if it goes here, cannot go to housing, kindergartens, public transport, care for the elderly and other needs. The OECD has long warned that tourism depends heavily on public infrastructure and services and that high pressure can affect the resources and quality of life of the host communities. It is curious that we worry so much about the destination being competitive and so little about who pays for this competitiveness.Then, there is the bill that does not go through any Administration. We find it when we look for an apartment, when our children cannot become independent, when certain prices adapt to the spending capacity of those who are on vacation for 15 days, but also in things harder to put into euros: the noise, the queues, the congestion, the loss of tranquility, and having to adapt our daily lives for months to a pressure we have not chosen. Tourist and second-home demand competes, even within our towns, with local families who have much less purchasing power. This is hard to swallow: we maintain our towns to make them attractive, we pay taxes all year round, and in the end, some of our children can no longer afford a house there. And all this wear and tear, even if it does not appear on any budget, also comes out of our well-being.This is why I think we are mistaken when we discuss whether the appropriate number is 15, 17, or 20 million tourists. The size of the tourism industry should not be decided from the outset. It should be a result. First, we should know what this activity really costs and ensure that the collective costs it generates are part, as much as possible, of the bill paid by those who generate them. Only then will we be able to know what size of the tourism industry is compatible with the general interest.This will increase part of the tourist offer. So what? If someone considers that coming to the Islands is worth that price, they will come. If a business continues to be profitable after paying the costs it generates, magnificent. And if it was only so because we were paying part of those costs, perhaps we should ask ourselves why we are so interested in preserving it. Surely fewer people would come. I don't see it as a drama. Less volume should not be the objective. It should be, if appropriate, the result of ceasing to charge residents part of the bill.And here we must also demand a response from our institutions. Why do we continue to govern tourism thinking so much about the needs of the sector and so little about the well-being of those of us who live here? The tourism sector has every right to defend more activity, more clients, and more profitability. That is its job. But the Government, the councils, and the town halls do not have this mandate. Their mandate is to defend the general interest of the citizens who live here. Always.A good government does not govern to maximize the interests of an industry, however important it may be. It governs to maximize the well-being of citizens. When the interest of the sector and the general interest coincide, perfect. But when they stop coinciding, there is not much room for discussion: the general interest must prevail. That is why we have the right to ask those who govern what criteria they use to decide if a tourism policy is good. Does more people come? Does spending increase? Does the sector bill more? Or do the islanders live better?We do not govern an industry. We govern a society. For too long we have asked residents to understand the needs of our main industry. Perhaps it is time to ask our main industry to understand the needs of the residents.It has been a long time since we passed the point where more tourist activity meant more well-being for the people here. Returning to a level that suits us does not mean arbitrarily deciding how many tourists should come. It means making those who enjoy tourism pay not only for the hotel, the restaurant, the car, or the taxes they already pay, but also for the share of the collective costs generated by their stay, which we continue to bear collectively today. Only then will we know what level of activity is truly compatible with the well-being of those of us who live here. In the end, this is the only measure that really matters: that tourism helps us live better, not worse.

]]> <![CDATA[The invisible cost of tourists]]>

It is not an easy debate. Talking about the cost of healthcare for tourists forces us to walk a fine and delicate border line. On the one hand, the principle of universality of healthcare, which guarantees that anyone who needs it must be treated; on the other hand, the obligation of whoever has to assume the cost of that care.

]]> <![CDATA[Public healthcare attends tourists for free: "They were having a snack by the villa's pool and the visit was neither charged nor registered"]]>

In a villa in Andratx, the Balearic public health service went to attend to a tourist, diagnosed him with a kidney stone, gave him medication, and left without charging him a single euro. The visit was also not recorded. It was an Austrian couple without a European Health Insurance Card, and the professionals had to travel to their home to attend to the man. "We found them both having a snack by the pool, a tremendous luxury. We did everything in English. The visit was neither charged nor recorded," explains a nurse with professional experience in different centers in Mallorca.

]]> <![CDATA["We cannot be subjected to the dictatorship of tourism"]]>

Celestí Alomar (Llubí, 1949) ponders the future of tourism from the Majorcan Col·lectiu Alternatives, previously he did so from the Administration. He looks at it from the Islands, which historically anticipate what will happen to the Spanish sector as a whole, and with the experience of having been Director General of Tourism Strategy for Felipe González and of having had a portfolio in the Pacte de Progrés that created the pioneering ecotax.

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