Majorca party calls for clampdown on 'one of the most harmful types of tourism'

Més per Mallorca warned not enough is being done to address the negative effects of hoards of visitors arriving via cruise ship (Image: Getty)

Authorities in Majorca have called for a limit on cruise ship tourism, which they said is "the most harmful" for the popular city.

Members of the Balearic Island group’s left-wing Més per Mallorca party warned that not enough is being done to address the negative effects of hoards of visitors arriving via cruise ship.

They accused centre-right opponents, the leading Partido Popular, of doing "nothing to limit this type of tourism, one of the most harmful for the city”.

The number of cruise ships docked at the archipelago’s most popular destination rose to a record high of 592 in 2019 - and around 541 are expected to arrive in 2025, carrying over 1.8 million passengers, as estimated by the Balearic Port Authority.

Councillors said the steady number of cruise ships arriving at Palma, Majorca’s main port city, was due to a lack of regulation - "aggravating overcrowding and worsening the health and quality of life of residents".

Cruise ships bring huge numbers of tourists to Majorca every year (Image: Getty)

"We cannot continue to accept gridlock streets," councillor Miquel Àngel Contreras told the Majorca Daily Bulletin. "Our city is polluted and our natural resources are put at risk while the only benefit goes to the big shipping companies.

"We cannot allow Palma to be an express stop for cruise passengers while residents suffer the consequences of this overcrowding."

Mr Contreras called for a ban on mega-cruise ships, which he said pose the biggest problem to locals of all as well as creating the most pollution.

Palma is one of the Mediterranean’s most popular cruise ship ports, attracting millions of passengers each year and some of the biggest cruise ship companies in the world.

In a year that has been characterised by overtourism protests across popular European destinations, as locals criticise the high house prices and weak infrastructure being highlighted by growing footfall, the prospect of mass arrivals has become more stark than ever.

The Platform against Mega Cruise Ships previously warned against "a massive influx of cruise passengers touristifying" the city centre.

The group said: "Cruise ship tourism is often falsely associated with the image of a prosperous economic sector and engine of growth [and] hides a hidden face that cannot be ignored."

The Balearic Government agreed to cut the number of cruise ships arriving to three a day in 2021, but the measures are set to expire next year, leaving doubt as to what will happen after that.