“We used to have a life”: Chants of “no more cyclists” at anti-tourism protest in Mallorca as residents complain of tourists driving up cost of living

I've lived in Brixton for three decades. I moved to Brixton when I first came to London because it was cheap and I didn't have a lot of money. It's not cheap any more.

I am absolutely sure you would be very welcome, especially if you revisited the remote areas. Even in Valencia, where there are protests about overtourism, I very much doubt you'd be hassled on a personal level. So your dream is still attainable.

I think you've been taken in by the media here. If the 10,000 figure is accurate for the rally (it's surely a rough guesstimate), that is about 2% of Palma's population. Tourism accounts for roughly 45% of Mallorca's GDP. A counter campaign has been launched to let tourists know they are welcome (I've been there cycling 6 times in the last 18 months and have never had a problem). People on the island say it's much more complex than being an Airbnbs issue - some point to long-term rental laws heavily favouring tenants playing a part. Whatever, the problem of locals being priced out of the housing market is not an issue unique to Mallorca - many areas suffer.

This really isn't about cyclists. Its a general complaint about tourists. And it isn't a vocal minority, its a huge number of people. Sometimes asking your politicians who are no doubt benefitting very nicely from tourism to calm it down doesn't work and you have to try a different tact. 

mctrials23 wrote:

Sometimes asking your politicians [...] doesn't work

Although this actually is a form of asking (or demanding of) the politicians. Protest is a part of the democratic landscape.

KDee wrote:

14.4 million tourists, and the problem is cyclists? 

Try reading past the headline.

The slogans might sound harsh but the reality for many is grim while the landlords and corporations suck the money out to their offshore accounts. It's the opposite of sustainable.

The situation is the same in so many popular tourist destinations. In the UK I immediately think of Cornwall, North West Wales (especially Llŷn), the Lake District and even places as remote as the Isle of Skye, which was very quiet when my parents took us there in the 70s and early 80s. All are very scenic rural areas that have benefitted but also suffered as a result of the growth in tourism in recent decades. Try buying a house in Ambleside or Abersoch on local wages; and seasonal jobs won't pay the bills between October and March.

Fair comment. The point is not to have no tourism, though, just to make it sustainable as it presumably has been since the 60s when Mallorca started to become a package destination. The advent of Airb&B and booking.com has supercharged the market to the great detriment of locals and I'm not at all surprised they're p***ed off - the ones not renting out their apartments and houses, that is 🙂. Restoration of some balance is needed which needs government regulation.

As for cyclists, I was there in the last week of April which is peak cyclist, and, yes, there are a lot of bikes out, but we don't take up much road and we certainly aren't causing the 2 mile queue at the Cap Formentor light house. But I suppose locals may have another perspective. I stayed in hotels and they seemed happy to have me.

richliv wrote:

I'm not at all surprised they're p***ed off - the ones not renting out their apartments and houses, that is.

As I understand it, one of the big complaints is that it's mostly not locals renting them - rather it's people from outside buying them and then sucking all that income out of the island, leaving the locals with mostly just the downsides.

richliv wrote:

Fair comment. The point is not to have no tourism, though, just to make it sustainable as it presumably has been since the 60s when Mallorca started to become a package destination. The advent of Airb&B and booking.com has supercharged the market ......

The advent of airbnb has allowed property owners who used to rent houses out to people to live in to rent them out to tourists at much higher weekly rates, they can generate more income in 20 weeks of the sumemr season than they ever could have renting out full time.

This is not a problem exclusive to Spain. Previously the tourist market was normally hotels or more exclusive villas generally ina resort village, but not every landlord can easily rent out any house or apartment for more money on short term lets.

Less risk, they won't be having to evict a tourist for non payment of rent, as a) they are going home in a week or two and b) they have paid up front.

Perhaps the solution is regulation that properties are listed as either for residential or tourist purposes and action taken against landloreds breaching these rules. Of course there will be losers because the increased rental yields will have driven up property prices and some will have bought them based on expectation of higher yields.

Of course you can leave the market to do what it does, the entire island will become short term lets other than owner occupiers, and anyone working in the tourist industry will need to be paid enough to allow payign those rents. 

wycombewheeler wrote:

The advent of airbnb has allowed property owners who used to rent houses out to people to live in to rent them out to tourists at much higher weekly rates, they can generate more income in 20 weeks of the sumemr season than they ever could have renting out full time. 

And (as others have pointed out) they rent in areas where hotels wouldn't be allowed under planning rules because they cause a lot of nighttime disrution for local residents and generally require different facilities (e.g. restaurants vs local shops - tourists eat out; different travel patterns (going to tourist destinations vs commuting), drunk holiday makers coming home in the early hours).

See Edinburgh - the festival + fringe is long enough that landlords seriously consider just renting out on airbnb for that period and all but ignore the rest of the year. £1000/week isn't unusual; 4 week period, plus people performing etc often needing a week either side; your half way to a yearly contract at £1000/month (which you might not even get)... Only need a couple of other visitors to make it viable. (Of course the opposite side is, people taking 12 month fixed term AST's then only paying rent for 1-2 months to cover the fringe/festival and telling the LL to sue them for the other 9-11 months rent...)

I suspect for mallorca cyclists are an easy target because in some places most will be tourists, especially during the week. Much like despite being the right distance with a decent cafe, very few of the cycle clubs near me seem to go to box hill - local knowledge means they know of plenty of other places regarded as at least as nice to ride, with cafes with shorter queues etc.

I think the cyclists they protest about, rather like the Shetlanders, are those who hire a dozen bikes for the whole family for a day to go sight seeing and then proceed to block up traffic in the centre of town. Now, I would, of course, be completely in favour of prohibiting cars in the centre of town, but until that happens the average car driver, already stressed (because he's driving a car), has a right to be there and suddenly sees a dozen bikes going the wrong way down a one way street and acting like they are entitled to do so and gets angry. Riding bikes while taking selfies while in the middle of a milling crowd, all taking selfies themselves, in a pedestrianised area is another cause of conflict, especially when there are lots of older people, with slow reflexes, and children, with limited sense in the mix. That, at least seems the idea in Valencia. 

Geoff Ingram wrote:

I think the cyclists they protest about, rather like the Shetlanders, 

I think it's more likely that cycling has extended the holiday season in Mallorca so it's now March-October, this shifts the balnce between short term lets during tourist season and renting out to locals for 12 months.

Good point. Though I was referring more to Valencia, as I said at the end, which isn't quite as extreme as Mallorca with regard to house/rental prices.

Zjtm231 wrote:

I'm going to start a march through London protesting about too many financial markets workers in the City and then move on to rich non-doms in Mayfair.

also complain about airbnb houses and flats in london, causing all the same issues, a shortage of supply for people who live and work in the city, and especially properties bought by overseas investers which then sit empty.