Locals in Mallorca are fumes as picturesque beaches are “overrunning” by tourists. Authorities are denounced the impact of social media influencers that have been used to divert visitors from the island's hotspots.
Caro de Moro, a small cove southeast of Mallorca, attracted around 4,000 visitors last year after influencers began posting videos labelling the island's “best secrets.” Despite being difficult to access and capacity of up to 100 people, tourists continued to flood the coves rather than nearby Es Trenc beach, boasting 2km of fine sand and plenty of parking. It forced local people to hold protests that pressure outsiders to leave.
“The Santany Tourism Board has not used the image of Caromoro for publicity purposes for many years. The decision has been made because local residents are tired of the situation,” said Marti Picornell, director of communications at the local Santany Town Council.
“This unnecessary social media coverage is the worst. People go to the coves just to take selfies.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Balearic Tourism Board said that attempts to curb overtourism through the use of influencers “has completely opposite effect to what was intended and is contrary to government policies, including tourism.”
The local government has also removed all images of Calódes Moro from its website. Like the disgruntled locals, heavy footsteps on the cove are affecting the environment.
Sergio Ruiz Halpern, marine biologist at Save the Med, explained:
Isabelle Morenocastillo, a marine biologist and former biology director at the University of Balearic (UIB), added:
“When people who visit the beach with fragile endemic plants that hold the sand in place lose their stability and even mild winds begin to erode the beach.”
Meanwhile, Ibiza has already set up daily caps of rental cars with 20,000 tourists until September 30th to fight the total. They also restrict access to certain beaches.
