The hoteliers of Mallorca on the demonstration against saturation: "They use tourism as a punching bag"
The FEHM defends that tourist pressure responds above all to deficits in housing, infrastructure and unregulated supply, and presents its new 2026 campaign with messages of coexistence between residents and visitors
PalmaThe Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM) expressed this Tuesday its respect for the demonstration called against the tourist saturation planned for July in Palma, but has harshly criticized the narrative of the protest, which it considers "uses tourism as a punching bag".
The president of the employers' association, Javier Vich, stated that the current situation on the island cannot be explained solely by tourist activity, but rather responds primarily to structural deficits accumulated over decades in housing, infrastructure, and mobility.
"It is not fair to blame tourism for a lack of planning by administrations over the last 20 years," said Vich, who defended the need to reorient the debate towards the root causes of Mallorca's territorial and urban model.
According to the hotel employers' association, a significant part of the tourist growth in recent years is not concentrated in regulated offerings, but in "hardly verifiable" accommodation formulas, such as housing from family or friends and illegal tourist rentals, which alter the real reading of the pressure on the island.
In this regard, the FEHM maintains that this parallel offering generates an additional burden on the territory and complicates the management of public services, especially during high season, when demand soars.
The role of the hotel sector and the debate on the model
The employers' association has also defended the role of the hotel sector within the Balearic tourism system, which it considers easier to regulate and supervise. According to the FEHM, the hotel model provides control mechanisms, taxation, and continuous investment, unlike other accommodation modalities with less administrative traceability.
The federation warns that the debate on saturation cannot be reduced to a confrontation with tourism itself, but must include elements such as urban planning, mobility management, and the regulation of housing supply.
New sector campaign: coexistence and "shared responsibility"
In parallel to these statements, the FEHM has presented the new edition of the communication campaign, with which the hotel sector wants to reinforce the idea of coexistence between residents and visitors.
Under the messages of 'This is your holiday. This is our home' and 'Let's keep it special together', the initiative starts from the idea that Mallorca is both a tourist destination and a space for daily life, and that both realities must coexist.
The employers' association defends that tourism is a key economic activity for the island, but insists that sustainability also depends on the involvement of the administrations and the regulation of all actors involved in the accommodation market.
In this context, the FEHM calls for a more global approach to the debate on saturation, which takes into account not only the number of visitors, but also how the pressure on the territory is organized and distributed.