Balearic govt 'to take all necessary measures' to thwart Majorca airport shutdown

The comments also come a day after coalition party Mes per Majorca saw its motion to cut the number of flights and passengers to the Balearics between April and September fail.

The proposal called for airport operating hours to be reduced and expansion plans halted, as well as an end to all private flights to Balearic islands.

"Majorca is no longer overcrowded, Majorca is collapsing,” said Mes per Mallorca MP Ferran Rosa on Tuesday (28 May). “We don’t live off tourism, we suffer from it and it is essential to adopt urgent and forceful measures to reduce tourism today.”

Maria Jose Verdu, an MP for the right-wing Vox party, said the measures would have “a catastrophic effect” on the local economy, with 30% of the islands’ GDP coming from tourism.

“Tourism represents a fundamental part of our economy, generating thousands of jobs and revenue for our islands," said Verdu.

In recent months, Spain’s tourist hotspots have endured a wave of protests, with tens of thousands of people marching against the perceived negative impact of tourism on housing and living costs.

Starting in the Canary Islands earlier this year, the sentiment has spread to the Balearics, where thousands of people took to the streets at the weekend in Majorca and Ibiza.

To strike a better balance between the needs of residents and those of tourists, the regional government has strengthened measures dating to 2020 to tighten up rules around street drinking in specific areas of the islands.