Views: 5

Official statistics show that Menorca has grown by 80% in the number of tourists over the last 15 years. Increasing overcrowding is not a feeling, it is a reality that is degrading the island in various ways. We already know that this path leads to the models of Ibiza and Mallorca.

But there are people who do not accept this destiny and will take to the streets to protest on Saturday 13 June, at 7.30 pm, at Plaça Biosfera in Maó. This is a new call by Via Menorca, the campaign that aims for the island to once again find a differentiated path, as it had for many years.

ONE THING IS TOURISM AND ANOTHER IS TOURISTIFICATION

If last year we had around 1.8 million tourists, this means that the resident population represents 5%. There are 20 tourists for every resident.

If we look at the graph, we will see that for many years Menorca was around one million tourists per year. Control over urban growth along the coast kept overcrowding in check, which was already being observed in other nearby territories.

But the appearance of digital tourist rental platforms made it possible to greatly increase accommodation capacity without the need to build much more. With the phenomenon of tourist rentals, visitors stay in already built homes. 30,000 places were granted in this new modality (equivalent to around 6,000 houses), and it is estimated that there is a similar number on the undeclared market.

12,000 houses filled with tourists explain the feeling of overcrowding that has been experienced in recent years. They also help to explain the great tension around access to housing, because renting to tourists (with a demand that keeps growing) is more profitable than providing homes for residents. If we do not put a stop to touristification, some problems will become very serious.

OVERPACKED BEACHES

Last year, a new study was carried out on the human pressure suffered by Menorcan beaches. The most well-known unspoilt beaches, which were so hard to protect from urban development attempts, are now far exceeded in visitor numbers and surpass several times the maximum they should have.

This also translates into a reduction of space per user, a parameter usually associated with the tourist quality of destinations and which in Menorca is seriously declining due to overcrowding. On many occasions, it does not reach 5 m² per user, far from the 15 m² per user considered appropriate for unspoilt beaches.

There are tools available to try to reduce summer tourist congestion, such as controlling the number of rental vehicles. But the Island Council, despite having the capacity to do so since 2023, does not want to apply it. Instead, public spending to increase tourism promotion grows year after year.

If you are one of those who refuse to accept a crowded and impersonal destination, if you would like to return to a Menorca that does not lose control of tourist pressure, come on Saturday 13 June, at 7.30 pm, to Plaça Biosfera in Maó.

The ants have started to move.