Has Spain's patience with mass tourism snapped? And why now?

The Canary Islands has launched a new campaign in mainland Spain featuring posters bearing slogans like "Islands not suitable for all audiences" in an attempt to raise awareness of the impact visitors to the islands can have.

Meanwhile, in the Balearics, Majorca’s government earlier this year published a responsible tourism pledge, outlining its commitments and strategies for tourism, which include protecting the environment and supporting the local economy. The regional government has also set up a committee tasked with developing a blueprint for sustainable tourism, with input from all stakeholders, including residents.

Jaume Bauza, the Balearic government’s minister of tourism, described the move as "a pioneering project that aims to give [a] voice to all citizens in the Balearics, as well as to institutions, private enterprises and political parties, to create a roadmap that will take us to a more sustainable future, at all levels".

Bauza is one of those quick to acknowledge the fact tourism will always likely remain one of the islands’s economic pillars, and instead stresses what needs changing is the quality of that tourism. "The only thing we ask for is quality tourism, not to be confused with luxury tourism," he warns. "One that respects the environment and behaves responsibly."

’The necessary is the solution’

However, members of left-leaning coalition Mes per Mallorca (More for Majorca) believe the current administration has not done enough, and has actually taken steps that fly in the face of establishing new standards for tourism.

"An example is Cabrera National Park, which will no longer have a maximum number of daily visitors, or the possibility of building new and large tourist and urban developments on rural land or flood-prone areas,” a party spokesperson tells TTG. “Other government projects are the expansion of the port of Palma to extend the recreational boating area, which will lead to more pressure on our waters.”

The party believes the only way forward for the island is to cap tourist numbers. "This can be achieved through a reduction in the capacities of the entry and exit infrastructure that goes in parallel with a reduction in the tourist offering, particularly tourist accommodation places in housing and obsolete hotels,” the party’s spokesperson continues.

"The decrease in tourism is not only necessary but is the only solution for the sector itself, which is already suffering from the loss of quality of the tourist offer, the shortage of labour, the high prices of housing and basic goods, and so on.”

With all that said, despite the coverage the protests this year have generated, tourists don’t – yet – appear to have been put off.

Gabriel Llobera Ramis, marketing and communications manager at Balearic hotel chain Garden Hotels, tells TTG bookings for Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza are “evolving favourably compared with previous seasons”.

Asked whether he was ever worried the protests would scare tourists away, Ramis is unequivocal. "Not at all. Tourists know they will find a world-class offering at our destination," he says, adding his ambition is to maintain the island’s tourism eco-system and manage resources responsibly.

TTG understands easyJet hasn’t seen a reduction in passenger demand for the Balearic or Canary Islands, while Vueling says it has maintained “open and constant dialogue” with local authorities to provide "the most sustainable and efficient connectivity throughout the year”.

Action raising awareness

Local officials in the Canaries, meanwhile, insist there are no pressing overtourism issues for the islands, with visitor numbers spread throughout the year – leading to "hardly any seasonality".

This stems, in part, from the islands’ location off the coast of west Africa some 1,400km south of mainland Spain, giving it a warmer year-round climate. This is in sharp contrast to the Balearics, which are only around 100km to 300km away from the mainland, and a much shorter hop from many source markets.

"The average is 1.3 million tourists per month, so the pressure on the territory and its resources, as well as on the local population, is much lower than in other destinations that concentrate the arrival of tourists at specific times of the year," says Jose Juan Lorenzo, managing director of Canary Island Tourism.

"In the Canary Islands, we are far from the tourist influx rates of other similar competing destinations in the Mediterranean area and much further away from urban destinations, which suffer from overcrowding."

Lorenzo believes the protests can be a force for good; he says action so far back as April has only served to shine a light on sustainable tourism issues and the new model being pursued by the government.

"We do work towards a type of tourism that brings more wellbeing to the people of the Canary Islands and that contributes more to the protection of our natural eco-systems and cultural wealth,” he adds.

’From the travel agent up’

Agents acknowledge they are – and must be – part of this endeavour owing to their proximity to their clients and to the UK and Ireland’s wider market of holidaymakers.

They’re usually also a first point of contact, meaning they can play a major role spreading this messaging and encouraging people to be more conscious of the challenges tourism presents for the destinations it visits.

Emma Butterworth, Adventures By’s sustainability specialist and one of TTG’s Sustainable Travel Ambassadors in training, suggests pitching clients less-touristed destinations they may not have considered but in their expert agent opinion would still suit the client.

Designer Travel agent Simon Collinge advises clients, especially those without school-age children, who are keen to holiday in hotspots like the Balearics or the Canaries to consider the shoulder seasons to help spread tourism throughout the year.

"Rather than staying in all-inclusive chains, we could suggest customers stay in smaller, family-run properties,” Collinge adds. “This will stop the tourism leakages and allow locals to benefit from tourism.”

The protests haven’t deterred Market Place Travel’s clients, managing director Mark Lomas insists. "We haven’t received any comments in either store," he says.

"It goes beyond sustainability though, it’s about respect, about treating locals properly and respecting their values. It’s something we try to explain softly to customers."

Idle Travel director Tony Mann perhaps sums up the best way forward for the trade in the short-term, at least; he believes there needs to be a concerted, industry-wide effort.

“It’s about the industry getting together and having a think about what we can all do – from the travel agent up – to make sure everyone has a good time, is aware of their environment and of local people," Mann tells TTG.