MADRID – Known as the “Spanish Mykonos” for its beautiful, narrow white-walled lanes that attract thousands of tourists a year, residents of Binibeca Vell are calling for authorities to take action to stop it being overwhelmed by visitors.
The Menorcan village, which has over 200 permanent residents but attracts 800,000 holidaymakers every year, is inundated with visitors who follow noisy tour guides, leave rubbish and take selfies as the sun goes down over the Mediterranean.
Last year, tired of being invaded, residents of the coastal village managed to impose limits on visiting times so tourists are only allowed in between 10am and 10pm and secured a grant of €15,000 from the island’s government to help pay to manage the area.
However, as Spain braces itself for a record year for tourism, with airlines scheduling extra flights, the Menorcan government withdrew this grant and said residents must pay for cleaning or charge visitors to enter.
The battle playing out in Menorca is being repeated from the Canary Islands to Barcelona as residents hit back at what some claim is uncontrolled tourism that puts pressure on housing and squeezes Spaniards out.
Oscar Monge, president of the Community of Property Owners in Binibeca Vell, said tourists were not the problem.
“I love Britain and I want to make it clear that British tourists are not the problem. It is the lack of action from the Menorcan government,” he told i.
Read Next
British expat says overtourism threatens to ‘cement over’ Tenerife
World
British expat says overtourism threatens to ‘cement over’ Tenerife
Read More
“They want us to pay for the cleaning of the streets because this is a private village or charge tourists for coming to the village, which we do not want to do. Sometimes tourists come in with tour guides and leave rubbish, but why should we have to pay to clear it up? Menorca charges a tourist tax of €2.30 per day, so what is that being used for?”
In a private village, property owners own the streets and land the village was built on, unlike in the typical case where common land is publicly owned.
Begoña Mercadal, director of tourism for the Menorcan government, said the residents’ organisation did not want to renew the €15,000 grant agreement.
“The agreement established that it was automatically renewed if the two parties requested it before 19 December, 2023 and they did not do so, therefore we understood that they were not interested,” she told eldiario.es, an online news site.
Spain received 9.8 million visitors in the first two months of 2024. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “Our commitment to a quality, innovative and sustainable model turns Spain into a cutting-edge tourist destination.”
Meanwhile, protests are planned across the Canary Islands against overtourism on Saturday as members of the group Canarias Se Agota carried on with a hunger strike.
One member of the group had to receive hospital attention on Tuesday after starting the strike five days earlier.
Protests will be staged in support of the Canary Islands action in Berlin, Madrid and Malaga by environmental group Greenpeace.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »