Airbnb responds to tourists' 'go home' chants at huge protest in Majorca
After thousands of angry residents marched across the Balearic Islands in large-scale protests to call for action against the detrimental impacts of mass tourism, short-term rental giant Airbnb has issued a response.
During Sunday's demonstrations, participants pointed fingers at holiday rentals, like Airbnb, accusing them of contributing to a marked rise in local rent costs, which soared by as much as a third within a year in some parts of the Balearics.
But with overtourism affecting everything in Spain from local healthcare services to traffic congestion, some amongst the Majorcan protesters just wanted to chant at people in cafes and bars, "Tourists go home."
Palma witnessed a huge turnout for the protest on Sunday, with tourists caught up in cafes while indignant Majorcans brandished signs pleading for an end to the influx of cruise ships and planes that delivered 15 million visitors to their shores last year. Police, at times, had to intervene to prevent incensed demonstrators from disrupting diners enjoying their evening meals.
Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb's Vice President of Public Policy, expressed his view that the outrage shown by protesters was mistakenly directed, indicating that local authorities have neglected fundamental issues in housing construction and availability, while overlooking the 'overwhelming impact' of hotels on promoting mass tourism.
Yedinsky commented: "If cities are serious about easing overtourism, they must address the overwhelming impact of hotels. Hotels have driven 75 per cent of the increase in guest nights in Europe's top ten most visited cities between 2021 and 2023, accounting for almost 80 per cent of total nights across the bloc in 2023 and 2024."
An Airbnb executive went on to accuse hotels of being partly responsible for the soaring rental costs that locals at popular Spanish holiday destinations face, citing a lack of new housing construction and an overemphasis on hospitality sector expansion. He stated: "Europe needs more homes - not hotels - yet cities are building more hotels as the construction of housing in the region nears a decade low."
The current situation is leading some residents to move back in with their parents or leave as neighbourhoods change character due to incoming visitors.
Expressing discontent, one local resident disclosed to the Mail: "I'm protesting because I don't want 80 per cent of my money to go on rent. I don't want to be forced to speak only English or German in my apartment block."
Continuing, the resident added: "I don't want my friends to have to go to the mainland when they have children just to be able to afford a dignified life, a lot of us are fed up."
Local authorities immediately criticised the protest which inconvenienced tourists on Sunday evening. Government spokesperson Toni Costa responded by saying: "The Balearic government condemns and rejects the minority that insulted tourists,".
Officials have reported that a "minority" engaged in offensive behaviour aimed at spoiling the experience of holidaymakers, stating: "This type of behaviour by a minority is not acceptable."
Protesters are calling for measures to decrease the influx of tourists to the Balearic Islands, where last year, visitors outnumbered locals 14 to 1. On Sunday, demonstrators brandished placards with messages such as "mass tourism kills the city" and "their greed brings us ruin".
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