Spain travel warning: UK holidaymakers warned as anti-tourist protesters threaten to shut down busy Palma Mallorca Airport

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Holidays in Spain could be disrupted as anti-tourist protesters plan to shut down busy Palma Mallorca Airport

A Spain holiday warning has been issued to UK holidaymakers as anti-tourist protestors are threatening to shut down one of the country’s busiest airports. Activists have warned that they are planning to block the international airport in Palma and said there will be an “intense summer”. 

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The tactic was proposed on Friday (17 May) at a "citizen's assembly" held in the town of Sineu. It involves causing traffic gridlock and massing cars outside of the airport.

More than 300 people applauded the idea at the session organised by Association Menys Turisme, Mes Vida - translated as "Less Tourism, More Life". The campaigners showed they were serious about the tactic as they weighed up legal consequences they might face and suggested setting up a fund to pay potential fines levied by the authorities.

Holidays in Spain could be disrupted as anti-tourist protesters plan to shut down busy Palma Mallorca Airport. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)Holidays in Spain could be disrupted as anti-tourist protesters plan to shut down busy Palma Mallorca Airport. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Holidays in Spain could be disrupted as anti-tourist protesters plan to shut down busy Palma Mallorca Airport. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

The mass demos will be finalised over the next few weeks. A separate protest against "tourist overcrowding" is also set to take place on the streets of Palma this Saturday (25 May). 

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Glasgow, Bristol, Edinburgh and East Midlands are among the UK airports which fly to Palma.

It comes after anti-tourist graffiti has recently been popping up across the island saying "Tourists Go Home". The latest anti-tourist writing was scrawled in English over a wall in a Majorcan neighbourhood which has seen an influx of foreign buyers.

Furious Ibiza locals will also be taking to the streets on Friday (24 May). An activist group by the name of Prou Eivissa (Enough Ibiza) is calling on locals to make a stand and campaign for further restrictions on tourists visiting the island.

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Athens in Greece is another holiday hotspot to be rocked by anti-tourism sentiment. "Tourists go home" and "No Tourists No Hipsters" are among the messages that have been sprayed on the walls in Athens. A large piece of graffiti that says "Tourists enjoy your stay in the cemetery of Europe” also covers most of the side of a house seemingly referring to Athens' reputation as the continental capital of antiquity and a place where more and more people are being priced out.

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