The Civil Society Forum demands that the government make a "real change" in the tourism model and not take advantage of its discontent.

PalmThe Civil Society Forum has demanded that the Government implement "a real change" in the tourism model in the Balearic Islands and abandon "cosmetic" and ineffective measures. The platform appeared at a press conference this Tuesday, after the figures from the 2024 Residents' Perception Survey on Tourism by the Government's Tourism Strategy Agency (AETIB) were released. This study shows that 78% of Balearic citizens believe there are too many tourists at certain times of the year and that 62.3% denounce that tourism has a significant impact on the degradation of the islands' natural resources. Furthermore, it criticized the Government for exploiting citizens' discontent to promote tourism, real estate speculation, and construction. "It's perverse. They're using time and discontent for political gain. The initiatives they're implementing are to buy time to reorganize the business," criticized GOB spokesperson Margalida Ramis.

The survey data is a wake-up call for the Catalan government, according to the Forum, which has called for immediate measures such as limiting tourist accommodation; guaranteeing access to housing; controlling tourist rentals; reducing tourism promotion; protecting the islands' language, culture, and heritage; and making a firm commitment to preserving natural resources. The organization has requested a meeting with the president of the Catalan government, Marga Prohens, although its representatives have noted that the Catalan government has been waiting to meet with the head of the executive for over a year.

Executive committee member Jaume Garau lamented that the survey data was only made public under pressure from the platform. "This survey should have been published in May," he remarked, in addition to providing information from the 2016 and 2020 surveys that confirm "a totally negative trend" in residents' perceptions of tourism. "The survey reflects the extent of the inconvenience and negative effects of tourism," Garau reiterated, also criticizing the fact that the increase in the number of tourists visiting the islands "continues to grow," despite this year's growth not being as pronounced as in previous years.

Ramis, he said, crux of the current situation: "The question is no longer whether we live off tourism, but rather that tourism lives at our expense, off our resources, homes, and neighborhoods." Ramis warned that "the situation is critical" and called for a debate that goes beyond the inconvenience tourism causes citizens and involves a "structural, economic model" reflection. "A policy of gestures is not enough," he added.

For her part, the manager of Obra Cultural Balear (OCB), Francisca Niell, also highlighted the fact that not only are the natural resources of the Balearic Islands in danger, but also their linguistic, cultural, identity, and heritage sustainability. Niell also referred to the "loss of traditional commerce" and "the overcrowding of festivals and heritage sites" due to tourism and called for "a major political pact" to reverse the situation.

On the other hand, Garau has demanded transparency from institutions regarding information and data. The Fòrum spokesperson has emphasized that the figures currently given only include tourists who stay overnight on the islands and leave out cruise passengers and people who spend only one day on the islands. If 13.2 million tourists arrived in Mallorca in 2024, another 1.2 million should be added to these, of which 800,000 were cruise passengers. "We must put all the information on the table and it should be done by civil servants, not politicians," he said.

An endorsement of the Government's policies

The regional minister of tourism, Jaume Bauzá, has pointed out that the social discontent with tourism reflected in the Aetib survey "supports the government's policies." Furthermore, Bauzá refused to assess the Fòrum's demands because the organization did not condemn the protest held at the regional government's regional government in late July, during which "photos of people and the president of the government were burned."

Bauzá also downplayed the importance of this survey, which was conducted among 2,000 people. "The level of representation of the Sustainability Pact is more important and powerful than 2,000 people," he said, while also downplaying the abandonment of civil society organizations, critical of how this initiative is being implemented. "Where civil society is represented, it is in the Parliament. These organizations have always been told that the doors are open to them," he added.

Although the survey was conducted in October, Bauzá has asserted that it was completed "two weeks ago," almost a year later, and has denied that the Catalan government has hidden the figures since May, as the Civil Society Forum has alleged.