'I booked Mallorca holiday but hostile anti-tourism protests mean I'm not going'

The "tourists go home" protests in Mallorca have led to some would-be holidaymakers cancelling their trips.

Mallorca, one of the world's most popular holiday destinations, welcomed a record-breaking 17.8 million visitors in 2023. While it is renowned for the party hotspot of Magaluf, it also offers more tranquil resorts where families can enjoy the sun.

However, the island's popularity has sparked several demonstrations in the main city of Palma. These mirror similar protests across mainland Spain, with locals expressing anger over developers buying properties to rent to tourists, leading to a surge in rental prices.

Now, in many of Spain's tourist hotspots - including Mallorca - graffiti reading "tourists go home" can be seen on walls. Earlier this year, graffiti stating "kill a tourist" was discovered in eastern Mallorca.

In recent weeks, some potential holidaymakers have taken to the r/Mallorca forum on Reddit to share how they've either cancelled a trip to the island, or are contemplating doing so, due to the protests.

One Redditor disclosed that they cancelled a trip planned for this month, opting instead for Madeira in Portugal. They wrote: "The last thing I want to do is to go somewhere I'm not welcome. I've never been to Mallorca, it was on my list, happy to take it off."

An American tourist responded to this post, saying they too were having second thoughts. They had planned a big trip across Europe "with one of the stops being Mallorca for a week". However, they added: "After reading about and seeing the hostility toward tourists, I'm reconsidering and thinking about redirecting that part of my trip to Madeira or Crete." A resident of Palma said in response to this post: "Thank you."

In a post on the