Palma and Mass Tourism in Mallorca

The first stop on our cruise was Mallorca and its capital, Palma. We were only in port from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., so there was a limit to how much we could experience on one of the most popular holiday islands among Danish travellers. Palma is certainly worth visiting, though. We managed to explore the old town and its narrow streets, walk past the impressive cathedral and spend some time at the beach. There were three cruise ships in Palma today, with a combined capacity of around 12,000 passengers. That may sound like a lot, but it is actually not very much compared with the enormous number of tourists who visit Mallorca. Around two million tourists visit the island in August alone. Those are quite staggering figures. The difference, of course, is that cruise passengers arrive all at once and often visit the same places in Palma. We spoke to a taxi driver about the number of tourists. On the one hand, he thinks it is wonderful that tourists bring so much money to the island. Tourism is one of Mallorca’s most important sources of income, and many people depend on it directly or indirectly. On the other hand, it is less enjoyable for local residents when beaches, roads and pedestrian streets fill up with tourists. In recent years there have been several large demonstrations in Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain against mass tourism. The main concerns are rising house prices, a shortage of homes for local people and areas where tourists increasingly outnumber the residents. It is not necessarily tourists themselves that people oppose, but the sheer number of them. Palma has introduced a limit of three cruise ships per day to reduce pressure on the city. We did not experience overcrowded beaches or streets, but it is the middle of October, the high season is over and there are gradually fewer tourists on the island. Some hotels and restaurants will also soon begin closing for the winter. Palma was a very enjoyable experience, and we could easily have spent more time here. But we had to continue our journey, and fortunately there is also plenty to experience aboard our floating hotel. Our next stop is Marseille in France.