Why residents of Spain’s holiday hotspot Mallorca want tourists to stay home | DW News 

Pero yo soy de Mallorca y me interesa lo de aquí.

@@josepi967 That's why it is happening around the world. The rich people think bigger than the average citizen and you only see what's immediately in front you. They already snatched your stuff from the comfort of their privilege in another country because the majority of us only see what is in front of us.

Kyoto is exactly the same

I lived on mallorca for 6 years and now many years on canary islands. We have apartments here since 20 years that are not rented out. Owned by canarios. They visit once or twice a year for a weekend... In a high demand area where lots of local families search for apartments. I dont see how its the tourists because its general inflation that made all prices go up. The inflation of the €. Its become more expensive for everyone. If the tourists stay out the prices will not get cheaper. Also generally it seems the politicians do not even want to allow builders to build more cheap apartments because with this market and crisis they can keep the population in check. you can never stop working if you want to keep your apartment or find one. So thats nothing else but control of the population and they are mostly not even blaming the politicians its so weird. So why should politicians even change anything if people do not demand from the politicians to bring more cheap apartments ?

Mexico City is out of control

But the people can't afford hotels so it's a vicious circle, and the problem it's not AirBNB because if it's banned the people will simply find new ways as it is a question of offer and demand, so, tackling Capitalism would be much more profitable in the long run for Mallorca, Spain, and the European Union as a whole.

You can't forbid people from renting out their own property. Also, who would you rather pay: a family who rent you part of their own home, and will therefore be able to pay their bills, or the likes of Paris Hilton?

@@oogabooga6346 What would you rather, to be able to afford rent in your city or to not be able to? And you can forbid people from renting their property to tourists.

yeah. let's ditch the idea of private property and have the state take over all housing. after all, it worked so well in the USSR and works wonderfully in Cuba

@@duncansmith7562 yeah let's adopt neoliberalism and have millions of homeless people and addicted people, after all, it works so well in the u.s.

"It's your fault for not stopping me"

literally it is their fault. international travelers have the right to go anywhere they want. it is an extremely easy thing for the government to just stop giving tourist visas or make them more expensive or limit the amount​@@BlueFrenzy

​@@BlueFrenzyyeah let's blame the tourists for coming and spending their money and contributing to local businesses

@@Nick2Stix Majorcans had been doing fine for thousands of years.

@@user-ky7pz8-yt "I didn't catch any fish today so I guess we're going to be hungry tonight. but yeah, we're doing just fine!"

It's just airbnb is it? No, it's any person willing to let out their properties to generate money that destroys neighbourhoods.

@@greatwhitesharky3261Airbnb has made it 1000x worse as it has simplified the entire short lease process.

sounds like every western country..

Been to London lately? Same thing. Governments don’t care about the working classes, it’s all about money at the end of the day.

@@fluffyjojo4570 Venice, Happening across Portugal, Greece

We have the same problem in Ibiza.. I met a doctor once working in the hospital who had to live in his car because there are no affordable apartments to rent

Over half the population work in the 'tourism' industry. 80% of the entire GDP is related to tourism. Like it or not, Mallorca needs tourists. If it gets scaled back, then the entire island will feel the effects & all those protesting will be screaming when the effects hit home personally. Malorca doesn't want the evil tourists, then it needs to urgently create a new industry to replace tourism as it's main source of income.

Because corpo land owners don't get their cut? You hit the problem on the head but don't expect the true solution to come at the expense of billionaires

@@jacobrandall4891 What do corporate landowners have to do with the funds the Govt would collect? Nothing.

@@rockbutcher because if the govt provides people with a cheaper housing option, the corporate landowners will no longer get customers.

​@@rockbutcher Anything that may reduce tourist numbers will be rejected by the tourist industry and property owners that cater to visitors. Even if the government did this- that won't alleviate the disparity between salaries and accommodation costs which is priced to German wage rates.

It’s not actual “locals” that are the problem. The retirees who bought the homes don’t like the tourists, but they are more transplants than locals. The “locals” who complain are renters who are now getting priced out because they don’t earn enough to compete for housing. There’s good reason to restrict voting to property owners, and this is one. They want their low wage jobs and high dollar rentals at someone else’s expense. Renting is cheap because among other things, you are not paying for the right to stay,nor taking the risks of ownership. And, there are local business owners who haven’t adapted their businesses. There are plenty of former tourist areas where the industry failed that are fine without it. Others simply go upscale so they can charge high dollar and pay better wages. I’d bet dollars to donuts there’s a lot of state subsidy and investment in the area that’s being fought over as if it wasn’t a thing.

Wow thanks man. That is such a smart answer that should open everyones eyes. Next to general inflation the issue is simply that local governments do not allow builders to create a lot of cheap apartments.

I’m a born New Yorker and I avoid that city now. Can’t believe anyone wants to visit without a guard.

i have a friend in NY who pays 1500 because of her coop motivating for rent control for the last 20 years, year in, year out. its a fulltime job.

Aren't New Yorkers leaving New York because its too expensive? lol

Imagine visiting that open air sewage. What's to see there? No culture, just some skyscrapers.

Real estate is one of the biggest ways to keep wealth. I can guarantee you that most local, provincial and central government politicians are real estate owners, landowners and investors who make their money renting property. So that will be a conflict of interest for them. Cause you are asking them go to against their own self interest. This is the problem in most cities and municipalities around the world.

@danwelterweight4137 I was talking about restrictions on foreigners, not Spanish citizens and permanent residents like you are describing by mentioning local politicians. In Mallorca, a lot of foreign wealthy people own property. I was suggesting this should be restricted. Perhaps the local politicians and other locals could benefit by being able to own more property rather than foreign competition driving the price up a lot? I guess it depends how one looks at the situation and it's complex.

@@ec2402 you really don't understand how local politics works in most cities around the world, do you! Local politicians are always in the real estate industry. They are the ones who buy to sell and rent all of the property to tourists and foreigners. They are the ones who use their positions in the municipal government to pass red tape regulations that restrict the building of new housing developments. They are the ones who object the building of more affordable public housing. They are the ones who place extremely high taxes on new housing developments. And put a bunch of restrictions on where things cns be built or not due to "environmental reasons". Local politics are some of the most corrupt places in the world with very little oversight and accountability. I seen it and heard it all no matter where you go around the world.

@@ec2402 The tourists and foreigners are the ones bringing money to the country and proving 10% of their GDP so obviously nonsensical to restrict it. Solution is for those people that can't afford it, to move to places they can afford instead of fighting against wind mills. It's simply free markets evening things out. If the place is nice, rich people are going to move there.

There's a whole market for citizenship of European countries. Spain is no exception. This would only mean that if you were to buy an investment, first you would need to invest into buying citizenship. Also. what is up with foreign owned local companies? Are they also banned?

Most people staying in AriBnb are staying longer term. Many retired people travel the world and it is not reasonable to stay in hotels for months on end. These are 2 different things.

Isnt that what they are doing? Asking their government to regulate tourism?

they are leftists

NE TREBA NAPADATI TURISTE NEGO SE OBRATITI POLITICI

They blame tourists because they are an easy traget. It just like blaming imagrants.

It's about gentrification. Tourists have bigger budgets when it comes to rent so the landlords are raising the prices thus pricing the locals out. Spain has very low wages compared to the rest of the EU.

@@hansmemling2311 they need a new law....apartments and houses must have at least a 3 month rental contract.......all short-term tourists are gone....problem solved..🤗

@@bobhope9317 I don't think everyone would be happy with that, short term tourism is lucrative. I don't think mallorca has much industry that they can just cut income from tourism like that.

@@hansmemling2311 just hold a referendum...the people on the island should decide on the law...that's called democracy...🤗

I don’t think Mallorcans care! They just want to live a normal, simple life without all the economic strains that come with the tourism.

@@tngdrczp120hopefully their economy isn’t based on tourism…

I agree with you, in Asian countries they are encouraging tourists to come for economy and create jobs for locals

​@@tngdrczp120So no economy? What are these genius Islanders going to export?

@@america1754 probably just retirees that want cheaper cost of living but also want a vacation spot to themselves

That's just part of the problem.

Banned long time ago

It’s the same here in Amsterdam

Yes but how can we blame Biden for this?

No one should be allowed to have more then 1 house / apartment. A second one should be taxed heavily...

@@scch4056 bro go research blackrock its too late for this naive strategy they already own half the planet

@@scch4056 then people who are renting to save up for a house won't have anywhere to live 🙈 I think the problem is with owning more than 2 properties.

Obviously but most people in the USA don't have the insight to realise there is a world outside the USA. I have seen videos of people in the USA not knowing the basic geography of where other countries are on a map 😂

Thats not true from my experience on the canary islands because if in a multiple apartment house someone starts renting out for airbnb the other neighbors will complain and bring it to police and stop it. The real problem is general inflation of the euro (like in germany its impossible to find apartments too in the main cities, with prices up 40% and more). The real core issue however is that builders cannot even start building mass apartment complexes for the locals that can be rented out cheap because the local governemnts simply dont allow it. Its so weird you guys blame the tourists

@@100millioneuros There are 220,000 short-let beds in the Canary Islands (an increase of 40,000 from last year) and the laws to reinforce the inspection regime and prevent new-build short lets are only being tightened up now. The idea that there's a shortage of apartment blocks in the Canary Islands or Balearics is ridiculous. The south of Tenerife is covered in them, and the tiny fishing villages of the east coast are now small towns with apartment blocks filling every spare piece of land.

Tourism is about 10% of Spains GDP. The tourists bringing money in aren't the problem. The problem is people that think they are entitled to live in any place they happen to want or happen to be born in. If you can't afford Manhattan or Monaco, do you also blame tourists for that or would it simply be better to move to a place that fits your income level better?

Finally someone who sees things clearly.

@@cyberfunk3793 we are talking about Mallorca here. Not the whole of Spain. There is a huge difference between mainland Spain and Mallorca in this regard. Wild guess- You are American and has never set foot on Spain nor Mallorca

Blame Capitalism, don't blame anything else greedy belly, this is happening everywhere locations are desirable

@@Temptation666 As a northern EU citizen, if I can’t spend a month of my summer holidays in Spain, Spaniards shouldn’t be able to use my country’s stable economy to find a job then.

Yup. This is exactly why I only stayed in hotels when I visited earlier this month.

@@HighMaintenanceMinimalist I think air bnb´s are a great way to help the locals as well =)

@@jadedjhypsi Nope. They contribute to pricing people out of their own neighborhoods.

@@HighMaintenanceMinimalist except for when the places are owned by locals.... which gives them an income to help pay for the place they have... I KNOW this because I am one of several friends who are having to do this in order to pay all of our bills.

Pues eso. A otro lado que ancha es Castilla y allí hace más falta

I see apartments empty since 10 years. Owned by locals. They are not going to rent them out for cheap. Why are tourists being blamed when its always an issue with the governments (not only spain) not allowing builders to build a lot more cheap apartments? Its so they can protect the rich

they don't need tourism, they need good living conditions, you need tourism...

​@@UCiWrMgES50tlUhV3l6NqjNAWhat does Mallorca export?

@@UCiWrMgES50tlUhV3l6NqjNA you are correct, tourism has nothing to do with it, local government problem

PLEASE do exactly that, get all your friends together and never ever come here

@@UCiWrMgES50tlUhV3l6NqjNA Over 10% of the GDP of the country depends on tourism, so they obviously need it.

"local property owners"...

Oh it is the "tourism" yes, tourists coming to Mallorca and going to airbnb, often very much illegal. What are tourists?Toddlers?They dont know their actions have consecuences?Of course the goverment too has resposability, as well as tourism and tourists.

Who do you think pays the local government? It's so cute to see people in the west still believing their politicians aren't corrupt.

Local?... Lol

The government failures are at not curbing overtourism.

It's about gentrification. Tourists have bigger budgets when it comes to rent so the landlords are raising the prices thus pricing the locals out. Spain has very low wages compared to the rest of the EU.

Mallorca, for the tourists who go there, is not a once in a lifetime experience. I'm German. Before I was 18, I did over 5 vacations there, probably over 10 with one visit to to Ibiza and Menorca each. I have friends that go there every year or multiple times a year because it's just that cheap and they want the Ballermann experience. Personally I don't go there anymore out of respect and I haven't visited the mainland yet, so... (that phrase is also quite common).

@@MaxiMonkU2BOf course they do!Use your two brain cells sometimes.

@@Domino_20 Sorry, I am drooling because my brain cells are too busy at trying to understand why would you insult me, given what I said.

Totally agree. Am half Maltese and was there earlier in the year..but the UK is also unaffordable. No one can afford the crazy rents here. The cost of living is outrageous, the wages don't match. There's apartment blocks going up everywhere..our roads are jammed up with cars. Its the same here

and these shows go online. time limits are absurd.

well with that I can agree this problem of ridicish housing costs happen all over western world....

It is in the hands of the European Union. Not our politicians. We tried to limit the purchase of homes to investors and people who do not reside on the islands, but Mrs. Ursula Von Der Lyen said a few days later that this was contrary to the European Union treaties. Because all Europeans must have the same rights. IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE SAME SALARIES IN THE SAME JOB POSITION WE ARE NOT EQUAL. Make my salary equal to yours and I will agree with you but this is colonialism. We are on the way to disappearing the Mallorcans and our culture and having a South Africa with wealthy people from the north and their slaves from South America and Africa living in substandard housing and vans. In a job of the same category, my friends who have emigrated to Germany earn 3 times more. For me, the right to a residence where our family lives is more important than your right to have a vacation home, but the EU leaders threatened us and they think not.

Most of the air BNB in Mallorca and Canary islands are the second residence of a person from the north of Europe who rents that when he's not there and pays the house with that money. Or people who works from their home in Mallorca half of the year and the other half in their country renting the house. If you need to live in that house you can't Make money with that. You can't pay that huge quantity. A lot of that people don't have licence and rent it ilegaly. I'm taxi driver and I know perfectly where is the people hosted.

@@sarahjaynescott545 Not surprising 😡🤬

They could put a limit on the number of Airbnb’s allowed. I like Airbnb as a traveler because hotels are so overpriced! And I like living as a local. But I see that the bad outweighs the good. It’s bad for the local economy.

Mass Media belong to conservative parties so poor people keep voting those who are enslaving them and they use patriotism to brainwash them.

South American

It's free markets and free movement, the tourists and expats from EU have equal right to move there or visit the place. If some person can't afford to live there, they should move to a place they can afford instead of complaining about money coming in or do you also complain because you can't afford to live in Monaco or New York?

Where will you go instead? Every single country is suffering this..

​@cyberfunk3793 it's the same in my hometown in the uk. People who grew up here can no longer afford to buy or even rent..everyone is being priced out of everywhere.

@@smch6416 Well if all of the country is suffering from the same, then it's not a tourist issue as tourists aren't flocking to every corner. UK problem is probably more related to economy in general, brexit etc. rather than tourists and Airbnb.

Are people from countries that were colonize by Spain expats though? Just giving Spain what were giving to them. 🤣

As someone born and raised in Amsterdam I would say both. Like a lot of popular cities the center is COMPLETELY focused on tourists. The decisions that are made are mostly tourist friendly instead of resident friendly like building more hotels instead of housing. Enough is enough I really hope the Dutch will protest next!

​@@riverdorfsee4324the problem is that municipal politicians are probably property owners themselves. I can guarantee you that they make their money from rental income as well. It's a huge conflict of interest.

@@riverdorfsee4324 a hard choice to make limit tourism also lowers cash inflows

@@danwelterweight4137 property owners won’t be affected compared to tourism workers if limits are in place for tourists numbers

I wish they could pin this to the top.

Or how about don't go to socialism and restrict free markets just because some people can't afford to live in one place? It's a nice place so one should expect that under free movement and markets it's going to be expensive for non rich people, that doesn't mean it's sensical to stop the money coming in. The reason I have spent money now in many different countries and places is Airbnb, I would never have travelled to many of the places if I would have had to pay hotel prices which are often ridiculous compared to Airbnb.

@@cyberfunk3793 Can we stop talking about free markets like they're a godsend and the solution to everything?

@@jimsykes6843 Not unless you prefer to try the other option, move to Venezuela and eat your pets for dinner because you can't afford food.

Not 90% but yeah the number is high. However the real issue is there simply is no way for builders to get permissions to build a lot of new apartments and houses to rent out cheap. The government and politicians anywhere in the world try to keep the system alive where owning apartments pays off for the rich owners.

@@100millioneuros The only way you could get affordable rental housing is if the municipality or government bought it themselves and then rented with subsidized prices. But I don't see any sense in that on a tourist hot spot island where land is limited. Better to just build such houses somewhere on the mainland, there are many half built apartment buildings in most places I have been in Spain. How about buy those and finish them if there is an actual housing shortage. It's a fantasy to think people will just pay higher prices if Airbnb isn't available. Some might, but if they can find Airbnb in Italy or France instead why would they pay more for Spain. I personally would not stay in a hotel, because I book 1 month at a time and a hotel would be much more expensive than Airbnb.

Los mallorquines vivimos con nuestros padres o emigramos. Porque estamos más cualificados y podemos encontrar trabajo en otro lugar pero éso provoca que las tradiciones, la lengua mallorquina, la comida mallorquina y todo el carácter de las islas morirá con nuestros padres para convertirse en un parque temático donde propietarios del norte de europa se lucrarán esclavizando a personas necesitadas de África y América. Es lo que queremos? Ya hay pocos mallorquines pero en una generación serán 0 y os atenderán 100% esclavos.

That’s what I was thinking. They really have no business complaining. You get what you get and you don’t get upset.

Yes, quality tourists are welcome. They spend the most, and put more money in. Cheap drunkards only think of themselves, and find the cheapest things.

❤

Which over-tourism is mostly responsible for. People can’t afford affordable housing because of those dreaded airbnbs, and landlords being greedy, only renting out for short term accommodation to tourists, which took away rentals from the locals and inflated everything. It’s not hard to understand, just simple logic really.

@@selmahare But tourists spend trillions moneys while on travel. The Gorvement can use these taxes to build AFFORDABLE PUBLIC HOUSE FOR POOR PEOPLE, OLD PEOPLE, SINGLE MOM (FAMILIES). Not free but sold at affordable house!! But Gorvement uses all these taxes for alots of wasteful things & corruption!!

In the Philippines housing in districts that are favored by expats and tourists shot up 5-10x in just 5 years. It reached a point that it’s no longer attainable so everyone is now jumping on preselling units on new townships that is yet to be built because ones expats & tourists flock to those new areas the cycle continues.

It's about gentrification. Tourists have bigger budgets when it comes to rent so the landlords are raising the prices thus pricing the locals out. Spain has very low wages compared to the rest of the EU.

you are real!!! it is a domino effect...narrow thinking mate...

Why? If a person has an apartment and can rent it, why would they limit their income?? It's like saying, go work for a company but don't take that high of a salary but give half of it back.

In Madeira and in Algarve and is starting in Costa Alentejana

The tourists are the ones that bring in the money, so no sane politician is going to stop it in a country that is in debt.

i used to work in add sell doing B2B sells... in county there used to be one part that was really depending on tourism. There was world sport event hold there every year etc... the owners were really how to say.... thinking they were gods... ;) the additute bite their smart behinds soon when the event was cancelled, the prices were ridicish for locals and then covid hit... ohhh the crying of that sector and area then.... no tourists, no job, no money.... so yeah, keep going, keep going and sawing the branch you are sitting on....

Amazing your blaming tourists and not your government

Los propietarios son inversores extranjeros en su mayoría. Que fueron turistas en su momento. Cada vez más europeos quieren comprar una casa para que se pague alquilándola en AIR BNB cuando no están con o sin licencia. Les da igual porque las multas españolas son una broma para los extranjeros. Los dueños del restaurante que se vino abajo matando a 4 personas eran unos inversores alemanes que no tenían licencia para las obras que habían hecho ni licencia para tener a gente en el piso de arriba, que no estaba hecho para soportar peso. Y tampoco tenían pasada la inspección técnica del edificio. Vienen aquí a hacer lo que en sus países no les dejan. Ya sea beber, armar alboroto, pelearse, comportarse como unos cerdos y tirar basura o si tienen dinero hacer negocio sucio para lucrarse.

Cool

and are you suggesting they become poor again and not travel?

This person from a Caribbean island is also sick and tired of the the stuck traffic, the crowded beaches, the noise, the destruction of our flora and fauna, the new hotels and condos, the housing market that has become too expensive for locals. It’s a global problem, not just European.

What does it not being Caribbean mean ?

​@@yolandacroes5491I love the Caribbean! 😍 I definitely understand your frustration! Even though I was only an expat, because I actually lived on Mallorca, I had to deal with the traffic, overcrowding, etc. while there, too. 😩 I quickly learned that *living and working* in a place is completely different from just vacationing there for a few days! 💯 Now I always keep that in mind whenever I travel. ✈️

What division there between a European and a Caribbean island? Caribbeans aren't a lesser being.

Don't tell them, or they will be coming there next!

You mean there is inflation everywhere?

"Hi yes the country's having a hard time; can you shut down your business and cut out 100% of your income for us all? Thanks." Wont work.

Pues cuando me he intentado comprar una casa los que no me han dejado porque han hecho una oferta mejor no eran ilegales. Eran Suecos y Alemanes. Y ésas casas están vacías la mayor parte del año y mientras tanto yo sigo viviendo con mis padres mientras espero a encontrar algo (pero los precios suben más alto de mi capacidad de ahorro) Tengo un muy buen sueldo y no me puedo quedar. Y no es culpa de los pobres miles de personas que sobreviven en caravanas, furgonetas, balcones e infraviviendas. Es culpa de la Unión Europea por no permitirnos limitar la compra a los no residentes.

Really? Most of Morocco seems to be blighting Spain and France

How much is a flat or a house now in morocco? And how much was it before?

If you have desalination plants in Morocco, there shouldn't be a correlation between rain and pools.

She speaks to much.

Ugh sadly

It's capitalism...the USA is hyper-capitalist, which has now turned into corporate fascism, where corporations have more rights than citizens. It's a mess... human greed is terrible, and people really need to fight back and not be complacent, or the greedy ones will destroy the world.

We all have a spyglass to look at what miserable society the u.s is but our E.U leaders don't seem to bother. It seems that's what they want for our future. Mental health crisis, homelessness, war, misery...

@@danielcaldwell1110 many of us Canadians are surprised that this is is now happening to us too. What is going on in our societies. For us our governing people are sick.

@@pdnowlin I think people are choosing to ignore the reality that capitalism is simply not sustainable. These are the symptoms of an imbalanced society, if people had simply a little bit more money none of this would be happening, none, and the sad part is that given the economy is no longer backed by gold reserves this is simply a choice of keeping people poor. This system has 300 years, it's time to move on.

Stay hunger, stay poor.

​@@marcelolinhares2465Yo también soy pobre. En Mallorca la gente vive en la miseria. En el confinamiento era pobre pero mucho más feliz. Era libre y no tenía que ver como inversores extranjeros depredaban mi isla a diario. Prefiero sembrar patatas que ver la muerte de mi cultura. Sólo el 40% de la gente que hay en Mallorca ha nacido en Mallorca. Y de ésa gente una gran parte tienen los padres de otro lugar. Si quitas el turismo el que está aquí para enriquecerse se va y el local vive pobre pero feliz y libre. Te aseguro que los filipinos son mucho más felices que yo.

You agree inflation is everywhere? Lets blame the outsiders :D

Obrigado hermano Portugués.

its not the tourists fault its their governments fault..tipping is not a thing in spain

@@laoch5658 Tipping is not a thing in Romania either but i always tipped the entire year i lived and partied there.

No.