Huge win for British tourists as popular city rejects holidaymaker bans
Local authorities are trying to rush through measures aimed at limiting tourist access in an attempt to appease local anger.
Spanish councillors in Palma have rejected attempts by the head of the local government to bring in measures to curb the number of tourists visiting Majorca.
Spain has been convulsed by a series of protests against mass tourism, that have sent shockwaves through the political establishment.
Angry local communities are fed up with the ever-increasing number of visitors coming to Spanish resorts and are demanding action by authorities to curb mass tourism. Two of the main gripes by locals concern the environment and the soaring, unaccessible, property markets.
Activists say the proliferation in holiday rental apartments is pricing ordinary people out of both the property and rental markets.
They also argue that mass tourism is damaging the environment and depleting scarce water resources made worse by longer and warmer summers, causing droughts.
Local authorities in some popular resorts are trying to rush through measures aimed at limiting tourist access in an attempt to appease local anger and preserve areas that are feared to be damaged by mass crowds.
In Majorca, the mayor Jaime Martínez proposed limiting the size of cruise ships allowed to arrive at the island at a meeting of the local government on Thursday.
Additionally he put forward proposals to restrict the number of tourist groups, as well as guided tours on the island. However in a humiliating defeat for the mayor, his coalition partner VOX and the opposition voted down his suggestions.
Palma, on the south coast of Majorca, is also home to half of the island's population. Despite the concerns it remains a popular place for Brits to holiday - with flights only 3.5 hours from London.
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Ignacio Esteban, a spokesman for VOX, said: "We live from tourism. Without it the young people would emigrate. But before taking measures we must be democratic. There must be consensus or there may be many repercussions."
VOX officials claimed they had not been consulted about the proposals prior to the meeting. Majorca is a popular destination for holidaying Brits, with some 750,000 visiting the island each year.
Tourism is a key driver of economic growth, accounting for 45 percent of the islands' gross domestic product.
Protest organisers insist that they are not against tourism but want the authorities to take action on holiday properties.
