Tourists on Spanish island sent to fake beaches in 'dirty' ploy by fed-up locals
Fed-up locals in a Spanish holiday resort are trying to fool holidaymakers into going to fake beaches.
The protesters are waging a "dirty tricks" campaign to try and fool holidaymakers in the midst of the row over tourism congestion. They are inventing fake beaches on the Balearic island of Majorca, which has been targeted by a string of protests and demonstrations since last summer.
The latest strategy consists of inventing names of "secret" coves that do not actually exist, so that tourists flock to urban areas that have nothing to do with the coast. These false names are usually the same as those in popular areas in the capital of Palma.
In a video explaining the ploy, a young local woman said: "These are not beaches, they are dangerous places that you should avoid. If you want to avoid getting scammed, look up the location online before you go. If you find a lot of information, it's a real beach. If not, avoid going."
The practice, which some justify as a way to protect the island's natural areas, is fuelling an intense debate about the impact of tourism. Some of the beaches being promoted but which don't exist include Son Gotleu, Son Roca and Son Banya Korea.
The scam is the latest in a series of tricks organised by mass tourism protesters who have previously resorted to putting up fake signs saying a particular beach or access road has been closed or is for locals only.
Last week, the platform "Majorca Platja Tour" announced the first "symbolic occupation" of a beach this summer amid calls for residents-only beaches. "Prepare your towels, umbrellas and banners because we will be making a new symbolic occupation on a beach in Mallorca," the campaigners announced in a statement.
The protests will echo those of last summer carried out at Platja de Palma, one of the best beaches in the capital, and Caló des Moro, a stunning beach located in the south-east of Mallorca featuring 40 metres of fine-grained sand surrounded by cliffs.
The protestors say beaches in Mallorca are so packed with tourists that locals avoid going in the summer. They want holidaymakers either banned from certain beaches or for areas to be designated for local residents only and not tourists.
"What used to be a corner of peace becomes a theme park," they claim. They say the beach at Platja de Palma is a prime example: "There is no area that better represents the overcrowded Mallorca than this one."
For this reason, they are demanding that parts of the beach are kept just for residents, or that residents are given preferential access to them.
The group highlighted the Municipality of Ameglia in North East Italy, where 60% of the beaches are kept for local residents.
Road routes to many beaches in Majorca are frequently clogged with traffic during the high season, with hundreds of cars parked on sandbanks.
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