Spanish tourist hotspot loved by Britons could be forced to 'expel own citizens'

Majorca's housing crisis is worsening, experts have warned. (Image: Getty)

A Spanish island loved by Brits has been warned it could be forced to "expel its own citizens" as the housing crisis worsens amid overtourism rows. Majorca has been the centre of anti-tourism sentiment in Europe since last summer when protests erupted, particularly in the capital, Palma. 

Locals took to the streets to express the fears that overcrowding would drive them out of the home towns, which would no longer be affordable due to sky high rent prices as tourists took over the housing market. With an increasing number of properties being turned into holiday rentals and the summer season fast approaching, concerns of a housing crisis have been reignited. Balearic real-estate agency associations ABINI and API sent a joint letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, demanding "urgent measures" to tackle overcrowding and price hikes.

Majorca has seen fierce opposition to overtourism. (Image: Getty)

It read: "If urgent measures are not taken, our society will be condemned to expelling its own citizens due to the inability to find a home."

They said housing should be considered a right not "a speculative asset", and called for "responsible investment and the housing supply".

The letter continued: "Housing cannot continue to be used as a political battleground. While the different parties accuse each other of inaction, families see their chance of having a home in their own land slipping away.

"We speak on behalf of our sector, but this sentiment is shared throughout Balearic society.

"It is a concern that affects workers, business owners, young people, families and the elderly, because the right to decent housing has become an unattainable luxury for many."

ABINI and API hoped for "a turning point in beginning to build the foundations of understanding between different political forces, putting aside differences and prioritising the well-being of the people of Majorca and those who have chosen our islands to live".

This comes as anti-tourism activists on the island are planning a new way of campaigns this summer, as they feel frustrated at a lack of political action to tackle the issue. 

Their aim to make visitors realise they are not welcome anymore by creating bad publicity that also puts potential tourists from holidaying there.