Making Tourism Sustainable

After another anti-tourism march in Mallorca...

In a Nutshell

• Thousands of Mallorcans demonstrated again in Palma against mass tourism.
• The tourism value chain and its profits disproportionately benefits a relatively small number of businesses with hospitality workers and local communities at the bottom of the food chain.
• Especially younger Mallorcans can’t afford housing and their wages aren’t keeping pace with the rising cost of living.?They see no future and are leaving the island for more opportunities and improved prospects.
• The issue of sustainable tourism requires a greater focus on sustainable communities and culture. More can be done.?
• While recognising it’s a partnership, without the industry taking a more proactive stance, it’s likely that governments will act placing limitations on visitor numbers or increasing tourism tax.?
• Pricing or taxing ordinary travelers out of their vacations only benefits the wealthy. Perhaps the answer lies in how the profits are shared and whether enough is being placed back into the local communities and the very reason people want to visit, namely culture and environment.
• Some ideas are shared here to help preserve and sustain tourism while being more equitable to the local community and culture.?
• Bottom line is those who take the most out of the system might consider putting more back in and lead the change for the benefit of us all by delivering a more sustainable future.

The Saturation Issue?

You only have to look behind the hospitality and welcoming smiles in Mallorca in order to sense the suffering of ordinary Mallorcans working in the travel, hospitality and tourism industry. It’s typically very hard work, over long hours for relatively low wages. But the choice is limited on an island where the vast majority of the jobs are in tourism.?

Indeed, more than half of the population works in the tourism industry contributing approximately 80% to Majorca's GDP.* This year is set to be a record-breaking one for tourism, surpassing the previous high in 2019. And yet the Island and its infrastructure is overwhelmed and unable to cope or sustain the increasingly large influx of tourists. This saturation manifests itself on many levels including the availability of natural resources (e.g. water), overcrowding, unaffordable housing and rents for workers and rising prices.

While on vacation, I most enjoy immersing myself in the local culture and how life is experienced by the local inhabitants and crucially, the impact of tourism. What I have learned is that the current model in Mallorca is far from sustainable. In fact, some describe it as exploitative and it’s little wonder there is a growing movement against the over saturation of tourists without? regard for what the local infrastructure and community can bear.??

I do believe the series of demonstrations there highlights an important issue in the travel industry and that is the distribution of profits generated in the value chain. At the wrong end of the equation are the hospitality workers, local small to medium sized businesses and, critically, the local population; especially the young Mallorcans.

A Human Problem?

Last week, the taxi driver taking me from the airport to the hotel told me she works seven days a week for nine months of the year. She puts in 12 -14 hours a day as does her taxi-driver husband. The taxi operator's license costs her €250,000 which she will pay off for the rest of her life. Her young daughter is cared for by her elderly mother. This is not an extreme example and hotel workers and restaurateurs also need to put the long, hard hours in.?

It's how many locals exist while they watch us tourists spend our money around and enjoy our vacation seemingly without a care in the world.

The Mallorcan Workers Unions** call for action and local people are turning out in their thousands to demand a fairer deal and share of the pie.

As they say, it's not an anti-tourism movement but instead, a demand for a new economic model to improve the quality of life for Mallorcans as well as big business.

The spokesperson for UGT Union Baleares considered that “overcrowded tourism is unsustainable from a social, economic and environmental point of view. It causes work overloads, prevents access to housing and does not generate social welfare.”

“In the Balearics everything is growing except the quality of life,” she said, criticizing the increase in tourists, flights, economic indicators, profits and employment - “is not improving people’s lives”.

The secretary general of the CCOO also referred to this issue, criticizing that the model “promotes labor exploitation” and “only enriches certain businessmen”.

It’s not hard to see why locals can end up feeling like extras in their own movie!***

So What To Do??

To improve sustainable tourism, it's crucial to focus on balancing economic, environmental, and sociocultural factors. There’s a great opportunity for big business to take a lead here and surely it is in the interest of everyone concerned.?

Just focussing on the social-economic impact, here are five ideas looking for leadership:??

1. Support Community Involvement: Involve local communities in tourism planning and development, ensuring they benefit from tourism revenues and have a say in how tourism activities impact their area.
2. Promote Responsible Travel: Encourage travelers to choose eco-friendly accommodations, support local businesses, respect local cultures, and minimize their environmental impact during their travels.
3. Educate and Raise Awareness: Provide information to tourists, local communities, and industry stakeholders about the importance of sustainable tourism practices and encourage responsible behavior.
4. Regulate Tourism Development: Enforce regulations and guidelines to control the expansion of tourism infrastructure, prevent overcrowding, and maintain the balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
5. Limit mass influx tourist spikes such as cruise ships the passengers of which may not proportionately contribute as much to the local economy.?

By implementing these strategies and fostering a holistic approach to sustainable tourism, destinations can preserve their natural and cultural heritage, enhance the visitor experience, and contribute to the well-being of local communities and the environment.

References and acknowledgements

Banner image AFP; GDP reference https://www.majorca.com/v/economy/ ; **Union quote https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/ July 18, 2024; ***BBC May 31, 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl55vdjv2j3o