TUI issues update on real reason Majorca locals are furious - nothing to do with Brits

Tourists are welcome according to a TUI representative (Image: Getty)

TUI believes tourists are welcome in the Balearics, despite protests erupting throughout the country. The travel operator, which made £578 million pre-tax last year from its Hotels and Resorts sector, attributed overtourism protests in the Balearic Islands to housing issues, rather than hotels or tourism in general. 

The director of corporate and external affairs at TUI, Thomas Ellerbeck, suggested holiday home rentals were to blame, rather than hotel holidays. He said that while holiday home rentals may impact affordable housing availability on the island, that is "not the type of tourism we support; our customers stay in hotels."

TUI Hotels & Resorts made €668 million pre-tax last year (Image: Getty)

In the meeting with President Prohens and tourism minister Jaume Bauzá, Ellerbeck added that he understood the problems faced by many residents who "can't afford housing".

He pointed out that most British tourists on package holidays in Majorca travel by coach to the hotel, which he said minimised the traffic compared to individual tourists who arrive in cars. 

The director said he drew the conclusions after talks with organisations and representatives of civil society.

TUI also met with the Forum for Civil Society, which comprises groups who are critical of tourism and walked away from the Balearic Government's sustainability pact, objecting to the fact that it wasn't getting a fair hearing.

Overtourism protests have erupted throughout Spain and Europe over the past few years, with some cases leading to tourists being jeered or being sprayed with water guns.

In the Balearic Islands, residents have expressed concern over issues such as housing affordability, the environment, overwhelmed infrastructure, and a loss of cultural identity. There is currently a ban on new tourist licenses for holiday lets.