TUI tourism group head: Take Mallorca tourist concerns seriously

The head of the huge TUI tourism group has expressed understanding of protests against mass tourism on the Spanish island of Mallorca in remarks published in the Sunday edition of Germany's mass-circulation Bild newspaper.

"There are these protests aimed at certain excessive issues, such as rent rises, lack of housing, increased house prices and traffic," Sebastian Ebel told Bild. "And we should definitely take this seriously, because we would feel the same," he added.

Mallorca, Barcelona and other popular Spanish destinations have seen repeated demonstrations by residents this year, with the protests focusing on increased prices and overcrowding.

Ebel noted that package tourists – TUI's main market – were put up in hotels and so did not take up private apartments. "We are also making efforts to keep water consumption as low as possible," he said.

An assessment needed to be made of what the local population was feeling, he said. "It is the local population that should decide how much tourism they want," Ebel said.

In December last year, TUI reported greater demand for summer holidays this year on Mallorca than ever before.