Majorca hoteliers have launched a campaign to fight against the anti-tourism row which has spread across the globe.
The campaign aims to counteract the negative messages around tourism and coincides with the latest action by Arran, an organisation that vandalised the Regional Tourism Ministry headquarters in Palma as well as publishing a social media video calling on the youth to stand up against foreign visitors.
The video depicts unknown individuals setting fire to photographs of the Balearic President, Marga Prohens, the regional tourism minister, Jaume Bauzà, and hoteliers Gabriel Escarrer, Miquel Fluxá and Pedro Simón Barceló.
The graffiti was reported by the regional government to the National Police and has since been removed.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the video amounts to hate crime.
The Majorcan Hotel Federation President, Javier Vich, is heading the campaign which aims to "convey that we are a welcoming land".
"With a vocation for tourism, and to thank (tourists) for choosing us," a press release stated.
It comes as there is growing alarm in the tourism sector with tourists choosing alternative destinations where they feel more welcome.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
REUTERS
| People hold a banner that reads "Mallorca is not for sale", as they take part in a protest against mass tourism in the islandThe latest demonstration against tourism saw about 10,000 people on the streets in Palma which was the largest ever held in Spain.
However, hoteliers and representatives attempted to downplay the protest, claiming many did not take part.
The huge protest attracted a significant media attention, highlighting the concerns of the demonstrators, including how the tourism industry is affecting their island.
The group of protestors surrounded the terraces of the Plaza de las Tortugas, yelling anti-tourism slogans and heckling visitors who were in town.
GETTY | Protesters flocked to the streets of Majorca to demonstrate their disdain for tourists
National Police officers were forced to establish a security cordon to protect the tourists and eliminate any escalation with protestors.
Police were also stationed next to some real estate agencies which were previously vandalised in other protests.
Hoteliers have already campaigned in the past, including during the pandemic to attract more tourists.
The Balearic Partido Popular party also campaigned in support of tourism after action by 2017, when flares were let off and confetti was thrown at tourists at a popular bar on the Palma sea front.
The anti-tourism wave has swept across the globe, including in other European countries and mainland Spain.
But, it has recently made its way over to Latin America.
The surge saw violent scenes emerge in Mexico where protestors took aim at foreigners and demanded action against mass tourism which they say is gentrifying the capital city.
A peaceful march through Condesa and Roma - two of Mexico City's most thriving neighbourhoods - turned ugly as masked demonstrators smashed up shopfronts, scrawled graffiti on walls and hurled abuse at visitors.
The two districts, popular among foreign tourists and expats, saw a breakaway group attacking high-end businesses, spray-painting messages like "Get out of Mexico" and "Gringos, stop stealing our home".
Others were seen screaming at passers-by and onlookers.
Bizarrely, with protestors complaining about foreigners ruining their country, footage showed rocks being thrown at glass storefronts and looters broke into shops as people watched on
Some protestors were seen wearing balaclavas and they marched towards the US Embassy, chanting slogans.