‘Mallorca at breaking point’: record anti-tourism protest ends in clashes with police

Police estimated that around 25,000 people took part in the protest, while organisers from the Menys Turisme, Més Vida (‘Less Tourism, More Life’) platform claimed attendance reached 70,000, making it significantly larger than similar demonstrations held in 2024 and 2025.

Marching under the slogan ‘Mallorca at breaking point’, demonstrators argued that the island’s tourism-based economic model had expanded beyond sustainable limits and demanded urgent action to reduce visitor numbers.

The organisers called for overall reductions in tourism and limits on visitor numbers, insisting the island needed a different approach in which quality took precedence over sheer volume. ALSO READ: Spain on course to welcome 100 million foreign tourists as spending hits new highs.

Placards carried through the city read ‘Tourists go home’, ‘Mallorca overbooked’, ‘No capacity left’, and ‘The tourism tsunami is wiping us out’.

The demonstration highlighted a series of grievances that residents say have steadily worsened in recent years, including the impact of overtourism on housing, declining living standards and increasingly precarious employment, with wages that many argue are no longer sufficient to live with dignity on the island.

Housing has become one of the most pressing concerns. Many people employed in tourism, retail and healthcare now find they can afford little more than a room in a shared flat, while others have been forced into caravans or substandard accommodation. More than 100,000 properties across Mallorca are reportedly used exclusively for tourist accommodation, both legally and illegally. ALSO READ: Barcelona wants to revoke all city’s 10,101 tourist apartment licences by Nov 2028.

Many residents argue that existing government measures, including banning holiday rentals in residential apartment buildings and proposed limits on vehicle numbers, do not go far enough. ALSO READ: Spain to impose tougher rental regulations, including caps on room rents and limits on seasonal lets.

Some also complain that overcrowding has become so severe in popular areas that locals can no longer visit certain beaches during the summer, saying they often have to wait until the winter months to enjoy places that were once part of everyday island life. ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis. 

The demonstration began in Plaça Espanya, where the square was already packed half an hour before the scheduled 7pm start. Protesters marched peacefully along Via Roma, La Rambla, Carrer Unió, Passeig del Born and Avinguda Antoni Maura before arriving at Ses Voltes, where organisers planned to read a closing manifesto.

For most of the evening, the march remained peaceful under a police escort. However, tensions emerged when police established cordons around Ses Voltes because of capacity concerns, preventing part of the crowd from entering the area where the manifesto was due to be read.

Afterwards, demonstrators attempted to continue towards Parc de la Mar, gathering at one end of Avinguda Antoni Maura under the close watch of a large police deployment. Dozens of officers, some carrying shields and equipped with rubber-bullet launchers, positioned themselves around the entrance to a nearby car park as protesters chanted slogans at them, unable to continue their march.

The situation escalated when a small group of demonstrators threw objects, mainly plastic bottles, towards police. Officers responded with baton charges and fired around 20 rubber bullets in an effort to disperse the crowd.

Paramedics treated eight people at the scene, with two requiring hospital treatment for minor injuries. One injured man suffered a bleeding head wound that left him lying on the ground before receiving medical assistance. Witnesses also reported that several tourists passing through the area became caught up in the disorder.

The protest reflected mounting concern over the island’s dependence on mass tourism. Mallorca welcomed more than 13 million visitors in 2025, the highest annual figure ever recorded, while another major influx of tourists is expected for the 12 August solar eclipse, adding to fears among many residents that pressure on the island’s infrastructure and housing market will continue to intensify. ALSO READ: Spain to spend €1.3 billion on ‘industrial construction of social housing’.