British holidaymakers have been urged to return to Spain after the country’s much-loved tourist resorts have been left “completely dead” by anti-tourist protests.
Hotspot Majorca has seen a slump in numbers this summer following multiple summers of anti-tourism protests nationwide.
Officials have admitted the chaos has “scared away visitors” – while travel firms are warning that tourists no longer feel “welcomed” in Spain.
Miguel Perez-Marsa, the head of the nightlife association, told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “The tourists we’re interested in are being driven away; they don’t feel welcome and are going to other destinations.”
Juanmi Ferrer, president of the Restaurant Association, warned that the message of the protests is “scaring visitors away”.
Meanwhile, Pedro Oliver, president of the College of Tour Guides, revealed excursion rates have dropped by 20 per cent this summer, with British, German and Italian tourists all being put off.
He said: “The anti-tourism messages are resonating.
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Majorca has seen a large slump in tourism numbers this summer after the anti-tourism protests which spread throughout Spain earlier this year
“If you generate negative news, which has repercussions in other countries, tourists opt for other destinations when choosing their holidays.”
Local media reports indicate the situation is so dire that some companies have given their staff time off – despite July usually being in the middle of the high season.
Biel Rosales, president of tour operator Proguies Turistics, said: “Tourismphobia and the idea that tourists are not welcome are hurting us greatly.”
The operator, which usually offers around 30 excursions per cruise, is now only offering 12-14.
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The backlash comes after protests earlier in the year which saw locals telling tourists to ‘go home’
While other nationalities may have stopped travelling, experts suggest that Britons are the most affected.
Biel Moragues, from one of Majorca’s taxi associations, said: “British tourists are the most upset by the protests and have changed their holiday destination.”
Long-time expats have also noticed the slump in numbers.
Lesley Johnson, 66, from Leicester, has lived on the island for more than 30 years.
“This area used to have a lot of British bars and pubs, and they would hold quiz leagues and dance leagues,” she told the Mail.
“Back then, if you went along this street at 7pm at night, you couldn’t walk up, it would be full of tourists, but now it’s completely dead.
“A lot of the Germans and Brits – they’ve just gone home.”
This all comes after protests earlier in the year which saw locals telling tourists to “go home”, with some even firing water pistols at them.
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Some protestors fired water pistols at tourists, while others shouted at them to leave the country
Other holidaymakers were surrounded by the protesters, who shouted at them to leave the country.
However, not everyone believes the demonstrations against tourism are to blame, with some suggesting traffic jams, increased prices and reduced budgets could the cause.
Jordi Mora, president of the Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises of Majorca (Pinem) rejected the idea that the protests were scaring people away, and even dismissed the suggestion of a drop in numbers.
He said his federation’s latest report “pointed to a 5 per cent growth compared to 12 per cent last year”.
While official data from June and July is not yet available, there was a 1.6 per cent decrease in visitor numbers for May.
