Mallorca pensioner says ‘stop blaming problems on tourists’ | World | News

A pensioner has lashed out at locals who blame tourists for Mallorca’s problems and insisted visitors should be welcomed to keep the economy alive.

Anna Nicholas, from the Majorca Daily Bulletin, was stopped in the street by a woman she described as a “belligerent elderly local”. The pensioner vented her frustration about an ongoing overtourism debate in Soller on the island’s north west coast.

According to Ms Nicholas, the topic has become highly sensitive in the valley. But amid complaints about rising house prices, unbearable traffic and a lack of parking, the old woman urged locals to stop blaming tourists for their woes.

The elderly woman slammed locals who “sold their homes for greedy sums” and said visitors weren’t solely to blame for Mallorca’s housing crisis. She is also said to have suggested that islanders were desperate for tourists to return during the difficult days of the pandemic.

British-born Ms Nicholas, a Mallorca expert who has wrote several books on the island, said she had some sympathy with the views of the woman. But the expat added that she ultimately believed the “tourism dam has burst its banks”.

“Of course we need visitors for a stable economy but in the last few years the tourism model has most definitely gone awry,” said Ms Nicholas.

“A local civil servant I know asserted that the gentrification of Mallorca was akin to an aggressive cancer, gobbling up towns, cities and villages and destroying the authentic way of life.”

Ms Nicholas proposed reinstating the Soller Tunnel and charging fees to day visitors and sight-seeing coaches. She said this would deter people who were only interested in taking Instagram photos rather than appreciating the culture and beauty of the area.

Last month, we revealed Brits who illegally rent out second homes in Mallorca face having their electricity and water switched off.

The harsh measures are the latest brought in by the island’s council which is trying to free up housing and crackdown on “tourist massification”.