RESIDENTS of a Menorcan village dubbed the ‘Spanish Mykonos’ have reached a verdict on banning tourists.
Some locals in the Balearic Island’s picture-postcard Binibeca Vell wanted a total end to holidaymakers coming to the idyllic fishermen’s village.
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Visitors flocked back to Menorca following the end of the Covid pandemic leaving locals outraged.
A whopping 800,000 holidaymakers visit the town of 195 residents a year with a million predicted to go there next year.
Locals have complained that influencers were going onto homeowners’s terraces to take selfies at 9pm.
Others have disrespected villagers by going through doors, scaling balconies, and climbing stairs in an attempt to get the perfect social media snap.
In response, locals chained off the 22 entrances to their community at night-time earlier this year.
Locals voted on banning all tourists last night after they became so sick of the interruptions.
But the vote failed, with a modification of visiting restriction times being agreed “unanimously” instead.
Now visitors are only allowed to visit between 10am and 10pm under the new rules which come in immediately.
Oscar Monge, President of the Community of Property Owners said the result was a “common sense” win for everyone.
Monge said: “Those that don’t come are losing out on the biggest tourist attraction in Menorca.
“We have a lot of beautiful beaches but apart from Mahon and Ciutadella there’s not a lot more.
“This is a place the British tourist can’t miss out on, but for his or her sake.
“The sunsets here are excellent.”
Monge said around 30 per cent of locals wanted to close permanently to tourists.
Monge previously claimed the island council ruined a municipal agreement allowing visitors to enter Binibeca Vell by neglecting to control bus influx and taking away a €15,000 grant for trash cleanup.
He said: “We pay dearly for being the most popular tourist attraction in Menorca.
“Binibeca is promoted by the island administration and the tourism companies, but what benefit do we get out of it?
“We don’t have anything against tourism, but sometimes it feels like we’re living in Disneyland Paris.”
Locals also agreed not to charge tourists a fee for entry into the village.
ANTI-TOURISM PROTESTS
There are 1.2 million permanent residents in the Balearic Islands, which include Menorca, Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
In 2023, a record-breaking 18 million tourists visited the islands.
Of these, 14.4 million were foreign visitors, the majority coming from Germany and the UK.
Menorca is one of the many Spanish destinations to see anti-tourist signs and demonstrations, following on from Majorca, Ibiza, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands over the past months.
Locals have also slammed unruly tourists and previously branded Brits as “low-quality” tourists who “drink cheap beer, lay in the sun and eat burgers and chips”.
Bitter graffiti has been plastered on walls across Majorca – and other Spanish hotspots – urging tourists to “go home”.
Locals have even threatened to block the island’s airports and protest outside hotels.
Tourism company TUI previously declared the Balearic Islands had “reached capacity” and asked holidaymakers to look elsewhere when booking their next holiday.
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