MÁS por Mallorca focuses on tourist saturation and its effects on municipalities

BinissalemTourist overcrowding continues to occupy a good part of the political and municipal debate in Mallorca. Last Thursday, mayors, councilors, and municipal representatives from MÉS per Mallorca met in Binissalem to share the problems that, they assure, are already evident in many towns on the island, coinciding with the constant increase in visitors and pressure on the territory.

During the meeting, municipal representatives presented situations that, they affirm, are repeated with increasing frequency: blocked roads, saturated public transport, difficulties in accessing housing, and increasingly strained public spaces. They also discussed the transformation of some urban centers and squares, where many residents claim to feel displaced during the months of highest tourist influx.

The president of the Municipalist Assembly of MÉS, Angelina Pérez, warned that many municipalities are beginning to notice growing social fatigue with a tourism model that, she said, “directly affects people's quality of life”. Among the examples given were markets with circulation difficulties, overcrowded terraces, and public services that cannot cope during certain times of the year.

Housing also focused on a large part of the debate. Various municipal representatives agreed in pointing out that tourist pressure and the expansion of vacation rentals have made access to apartments and houses for residents, especially young people and workers, even more complicated.

During the meeting, some initiatives promoted by different town halls were also shared. The case of Manacor was highlighted as one of the outstanding examples, after the local government directly assumed the management of the beach service, a decision that has made it possible to reduce the number of sunbeds in some coastal areas.

The meeting comes at a time when the debate about the limits of tourism is gaining strength again in Mallorca. With a new high season about to intensify, complaints about saturation, transit, and difficulties in accessing housing are reappearing both in the political sphere and among some of the island's residents.