A number of Mallorcan residents are resorting to living in caravans parked in makeshift camps as they are priced out of the housing market partly due to a tourism boom on the Spanish holiday island. - REUTERS
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Pilar Hernando lives on the outskirts of Palma de Mallorca.
00:05Her home is a caravan, and she showers at the local sports center.
00:09The 45-year-old has struggled to find work, and says she cannot afford rental prices,
00:14which have risen significantly on the Spanish holiday island, partly due to a tourism boom.
00:19PILAR HERNANDO, Residents of Mallorca, Spain Translated, Everything goes up.
00:22Prices go up.
00:23Rents go up.
00:24Everything goes up.
00:25Everything goes up, except the salary.
00:27Hernando is one of a number of Mallorcan residents living in caravans parked in makeshift camps.
00:33Many have been priced out of the housing market by landlords preferring renting to tourists,
00:38often via apps such as Airbnb.
00:41Another camp resident is Begoña Iglesias.
00:43BEGOÑA IGLESIAS, Resident of Mallorca, Spain Translated, There's too much tourism.
00:48They let the owners set super high rent prices because they know that every week, every fortnight,
00:52they have different people.
00:56Spain received 33 million international travelers up to May, 14 percent more than the same period
01:02in 2023.
01:04In the past decade, rental prices have risen 158 percent on the island, according to property
01:10listing's Web site, Fotocasa.
01:14The trend has led to protests on the island, as well as other parts of Spain.
01:19Last Sunday, about 10,000 protesters took part in a rally against mass tourism in Palma
01:24de Mallorca.
01:26While local authorities have provided a recycling system for the caravan sites, residents say
01:31there is only one place on the island to dispose of sewage.
01:36They say they are also not allowed to open their windows or place a table outside because
01:40they are parked in a public space.
01:42Police have threatened them with fines, while the local government said it cannot provide
01:46any more facilities and referred them to social services.
01:50The Balearic Islands government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.