The platform 'Menys Turisme, Més Vida' gathered tens of thousands of people in Palma this Sunday under the slogan 'Mallorca at its limit'. National Police and Local Police estimate between 22,500 and 25,000 attendees, while the organisers raise the figure to 70,000.
The demonstration against tourist overcrowding called by the platform 'Menys Turisme, Més Vida' marched through the streets of Palma this Sunday with massive participation. According to data from the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands, the National Police counted 25,000 attendees, while the Local Police, based on the Palma City Council, estimated between 22,500 and 25,000 people. The organisers, for their part, raised the figure to 70,000 participants, highlighting the cross-sectional nature of the protest, with the presence of both young and old.
The march started after 19:00 from the Plaza de España and proceeded along the Ramblas, Unió Street, and the Paseo del Born, where most establishments had removed their terraces. During the route, the demonstrators chanted slogans such as 'tourist, go home', 'more Mallorcan, less German', and 'we are not servants, we are residents', accompanied by the rhythm of 'xeremiers', 'fabiolers', and batucadas.
Among the most prominent banners were messages such as 'I am not an extra in your Instagram story', 'Fed up with being thrown out of our homes', or 'Fewer planes and more melons'. The protest culminated around 20:30 at Ses Voltes, where the manifesto was read and 'La Balanguera' was sung. The high turnout initially led the National Police to prevent access to the area, but attendees broke through the police cordon and managed to reach the location.
Before the march began, one of the platform's spokespersons, Dani Comas, warned: "It is very important to take to the streets this year; it is the last summer before the elections, and we are breaking all records, all limits."
The manifesto, read by the organisers, recalled that 26 years ago the slogan 'Mallorca at its limit' was first used when half the tourists were arriving compared to now. "Today we denounce that this limit has been surpassed for years. Touristic invasion has taken over our coasts, then our towns, and is currently occupying our homes," they stated, emphasising that over 105,000 homes are allocated for tourist use, whether legal or illegal.
The organisers criticised that residents are deprived of a dignified life and are forced to leave, while Mallorca "continues to be destroyed and commercialised as a backdrop for tourists", with "outrageous" prices and an "inevitable" climate collapse. In this context, they defended tourist degrowth as an "unavoidable" condition to ensure dignified public services, the survival of local culture and language, housing for living, better working conditions, and stronger environmental protection.
The demonstrators also addressed the Balearic Government, accusing it of ignoring social demands and boasting about "tourism containment policies" and "social dialogue" that, in their view, are ineffective. "We demand that they stop ignoring social demands and set clear limits that prioritise the needs of citizens," they claimed.
They also denounced a "repressive wave" from the security forces to "halt the movement against touristification", citing the arrests of two activists for graffiti on real estate agencies in Santa Maria and the graffiti on the bunkers of Es Trenc. "A graffiti can be erased, but the impact of limitless construction on rustic land, the waste of resources, or the suffering of workers in the tourism sector is much harder to reverse," they warned.
This Sunday’s demonstration is the third edition of a protest that has been growing in participation and social support, with 145 entities from different fields backing it. The organisers have made it clear that "we will only accept degrowth as a solution" and that "Mallorca cannot accommodate more cars, more hotels, more tourist rentals, more coffee franchises, fast food, or cheesecake, and cannot accommodate more tourists."
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