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Recently, details have emerged about the study on tourism carrying capacity commissioned by the Consell Insular de Menorca. The study proposes increasing the number of tourist accommodations across the island, including in traditional towns, tourist areas, and even rural land.
This is a serious concern, as the study is being used to justify lifting the current tourism moratorium. The GOB has released an initial response highlighting key issues.
Why was the tourism moratorium introduced?
In 2022, the Balearic Government issued a four-year moratorium on new tourist accommodations across the islands. Why? Because the actual tourism pressure far exceeds the official planning figures.
Menorca has a resident population of around 100,000 and 84,000 authorized tourist beds. However, in August, the island’s actual population exceeds 230,000 people—a gap of 46,000 more people than the official capacity.
Now, the carrying capacity study proposes increasing tourist beds to 107,917 (+23,800 from current numbers) and setting the maximum seasonal population at 267,000 people.
This is an alarming scenario: in reality, it would push Menorca’s peak summer population beyond 330,000 people.
A Study with Critical Flaws
The Consell Insular commissioned this study without a public tender and without input from a multidisciplinary team that could assess key environmental and social factors.
Water supply: an impossible challenge
For years, Menorca’s two main aquifers, Migjorn and s’Albaida, have shown signs of depletion, with rising chloride levels—clear evidence that more water is being extracted than replenished. This also leads to saltwater intrusion, further compromising freshwater supply.
Some argue that desalination plants could solve the problem, but this is a dead-end strategy. In Ciutadella, where a powerful desalination plant is already operating, the current projected population growth will still exceed its capacity.
According to official estimates, by 2031 (just six years from now), Ciutadella’s desalination plant would need to operate at full capacity every summer, while also increasing groundwater extractions by 30%. This is impossible given that the aquifer is already depleted and contaminated with chlorides and nitrates.
This is precisely why Ciutadella’s urban development plan (PGOU) is on hold—it cannot demonstrate a sustainable water supply for future growth.
Yet, despite this reality, the Consell Insular is pushing for even more growth, ignoring clear environmental limits.
GOB’s proposals for a sustainable future
During the revision of Menorca’s Territorial Plan (PTI) in the previous legislative term, GOB proposed two concrete measures to curb tourism overcrowding and mitigate its negative impacts:
A tourist accommodation cap with a “2-for-1” mechanism
- Keep the total tourist bed capacity at 84,058.
- For every new tourist bed, two existing beds must be eliminated.
- This would maintain a dynamic market while encouraging higher-quality accommodations.
Tourist vehicle limits
- Implement a system similar to Formentera, which has regulated vehicle numbers since 2019.
- Ibiza and Mallorca are currently working on similar regulations.
- Menorca already has the legal power to implement these measures under its Biosphere Reserve Law (2023), but the Consell Insular has failed to act.
A call for transparency and public debate
This study presents major decisions for Menorca’s future. It is crucial that:
- The study is made fully transparent
- It is opened for public review and feedback
- A wider public debate is promoted across the island
Only by limiting tourism expansion and progressively reducing accommodation capacity can Menorca ensure a sustainable future—one that protects resident well-being, enhances visitor experience, preserves natural resources, and ensures affordable housing for locals.