A simple request of the account in a Majorca Palma bar gave rise to a deeper debate on the effects of mass tourism on this paradise island near Portugal. Angel Aguiló, a user of social network X (former Twitter), told his experience on a tweet that quickly became viral.
He reported, after drinking two beers in a local bar, he asked the employee who answered him, “Yes, I make you price of neighboring, who are here.” The seemingly harmless phrase has understood that tourists pay more, a clear reflection of the growing malaise between residents and the tourist sector.
Episode became viral
According to the digital newspaper HuffPost, the episode had over 20,000 views and thousands of reactions, especially from other island residents who felt identified with the situation. One user wrote: “It should not be so… but it has to be like this,” in a clear allusion to the perception of inequality created by tourist pressure.
Others commented on similar experiences on this paradise island. One user said that when buying tomatoes, the saleswoman asked him, “Who are they?” Suggesting that the price could vary depending on the destination of the product: tourist or place.
Several comments underlined the need to protect traditional trade and to value residents. “Neighborhood trade is a culture that should also be protected,” wrote @isnessie. Journalist Abel laughed was even further: “This is how it should be in every massive zones… Let us take care of, we protect ourselves priority,” he said, quoted by the same source.
If it is not isolated
The case is not isolated and coincides with a growing climate of discontent in various tourist regions of Spain, where access to housing, services and even beaches becomes increasingly difficult for the inhabitants themselves.
The British newspaper The Times recently published an article about the growing difficulties of Spaniards in spending a vacation within his own country. “A week on the beach is out of reach of many,” the diary warned, adding that the postpandeia tourist boom has triggered the prices of stay, meals and transportation to unprecedented levels.
Spanish opt for the foreigner
This phenomenon led many Spaniards to opt for vacation abroad, where they find better prices and less tourist pressure. However, access to traditionally popular zones has become a reserved luxury to foreign visitors, the.
In Palma de Mallorca, as in other coastal zones, a bar employee’s small gesture ended up exposing a broader structural problem: the growing division between those who live in the islands and who just visits them. For many places, the only way to maintain some balance is to treat better who is “on the ground”, even in the price of beer.
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