Menorca Brit hotspot dubbed ‘Spain’s Mykonos’ shuts streets to keep selfie-loving tourists out as Majorca protest erupt
FURIOUS locals at a Menorca holiday hotspot have closed off their streets to keep tourists out in the latest blow against holidaymakers.
The 195 homeowners of Binibeca Vell, dubbed the “Mykonos of Spain“, don’t want any visitors before 11am and after 8pm as protests erupt across neighbouring Majorca and Ibiza.
Locals have voiced complaints about tourists disrespecting private property by going through their doors, scaling balconies, and climbing stairs in an attempt to get the perfect social media snap.
Known for its whitewashed cottages and winding walkways, Binibeca can only accommodate 500 permanent residents in the summer, but every year 800,000 tourists cram into its alleyways.
But recent pictures now show the picturesque town almost completely deserted, as many of its alleyways have ropes and chains with a small round sign indicating not to trespass.
The chains are the town’s first anti-tourist measure before residents take a vote on whether to ban tourists altogether in August, The Telegraph reports.
The president of the residents association, Óscar Monge, accused the Menorca government of neglecting to control tourism in the region and leaving people to take matters into their own hands.
He said: “Binibeca is promoted by the administration and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get out of it?
“We pay dearly for being the most potent tourist attraction in Menorca.”
The residents organisation receives €25,000 annually from the local government to repair and touch up the outside painting of the town’s houses.
Mr Monge, however, feels that this amount is insufficient and has sought a strategy for sustainable management of the region.
He said: “It’s outrageous that the politicians who run local tourism are telling us that the only alternatives we have to keep the place clean are to close it, privatise it or start charging.”
There are 1.2 million permanent people in the Balearic Islands, which are home to Menorca, the smaller neighour of popular tourist destinations Majorca and Ibiza.
In 2023, the islands saw about 18 million tourists arrive, hitting a record for the archipelago.
And 14.4 million of these were foreign visitors, the majority of whom were Germans and Brits.
Menorca is the latest Spanish destination to see anti-tourist signs and demonstrations, following on from Majorca, Ibiza, Tenerife and the other Canary Islands over the past month.
Brits headed to Ibiza this bank holiday weekend would have faced major disruption as hundreds were set to take to the streets in anti-tourist protests.
The organisers of the Ibiza demo, a group called Prou Eivissa, met with Ibiza’s president Vicent Mari before taking to the streets.
Their demands include a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ cash to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
Those wanting to relax in Majorca would have also faced carnage, with thousands flooding the hotspot in demonstrations with some even causing mayhem at the island’s busy airport.
The main focus of the march will be the difficulty local people have in affording homes in Majorca, either for rent or sale, due to the higher prices owners can get for holiday rentals.
But protesters will also spotlight all other aspects of tourist saturation which they say is ruining Majorca.
On Friday, riot cops and anti-tourist protesters went head-to-head in a violent clash outside a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Barcelona.
The protests were the latest since April 20 when thousands in the Canary Islands took to the streets to demonstrate against mass tourism and demand actions from their politicians.
Zealots in Tenerife were said to have held up banners saying “You enjoy we suffer” and “Tourism moratorium now”.
Local authorities said that said around 30,000 people had taken part in the demonstrations, while organisers put the figure at 80,000.
Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots
MENORCA and Majorca are just some of the European hotspots implementing anti-tourist measures.
Many top holiday destinations across the continent are taking action to prevent unwanted travellers from taking over their towns and cities.
Locals feel they can no longer live in the iconic destinations because they have become overcrowded, unsafe and uncomfortable.
They say there are too many cars on the roads, traffic congestion, overcrowded beaches, blocked access roads, ruined beauty spots and just too many holidaymakers flocking to the island which expects record figures this summer.
In April, thousands of people took to the streets in Tenerife to demand restrictions on holidaymakers after telling Brits to “go home”.
The anti-tourist hordes filled a square in the capital brandishing banners including some that read “You enjoy we suffer” in English.
Protests also took place at the same time on other popular Canary islands including Lanzarote and Gran Canaria.
The marches were organised under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”
Hotel bosses in Benidorm have even admitted they are “very worried” by the anger growing amongst island residents but branded holiday homes in Spain a “virus”.
More recently, the Committee on Tourism, Trade, Employment, Culture and Sport reportedly approved an initiative to reintroduce a cap on cruise ships to Palma, Majorca’s capital.
Politicians are keen to implement a new set of rules on cruise ships in terms of taxation, the environment or the use of less polluting fuels to lower numbers coming into the Balearics.