Majorca has announced plans to monitor British mobile phones this summer. The surveillance tactic is part of a new strategy to combat overtourism, amid growing anger from locals on the largest Balearic Island.
Opposition parties have criticised the plans, which will use the number of phones to measure beach overcrowding. They agree that the problem of mass tourism has to be dealt with but claim the beach monitoring proposal will not solve the crisis.
The plan will cover popular tourist spots such as the Deya viewpoint and several beaches so the island can “better manage tourist success”.
The ruling People’s Party defended the proposal, saying: “We need objective data, not just perceptions, and new technologies make it possible to obtain this.
“We want to know where the hotspots are, so that tourist experiences are optimal and, above all, that the coexistence of residents is not affected as happens now at specific times and places.
“We will be able to make mobility decisions, redirect tourist flows and identify infrastructure deficiencies.”
In 2022, nearly four million people flew in from Germany, while 2.1 million Britons chose Majorca as their holiday destination.
Last year, the total number of tourists in the Balearics increased by 1.3 million to 17.8 million.
This total is expected to be surpassed in 2024, with a suggestion that it may even reach 19 million.
Lluís Apesteguia, from the rival Més party, said the tourism plan from the ruling PP is “the policy of Instagram“. He claimed that President Marga Prohens, who runs Majorca, was more bothered with how busy the beaches look in photos and not how overtourism impacts the lives of locals.
Mr Apesteguia said: “We are concerned about people’s lives. The tourist experience is increasingly negative.”
The growing anger at mass tourism has seen a spat of anti-tourist graffiti appear on the island, after similar slogans have appeared across mainland Spain and the Canary Islands.
Meanwhile, new rules this summer will crack down on unruly behaviour from holidaymakers.
The new police powers will crack down on excessive drinking, gambling, vandalism, anti-social and loutish behaviour, and can result in fines of up to £2,563 (€3,000).
