Angry residents of a holiday hotspot in Menorca have closed off entire streets in a bid to keep tourists out, as tensions over visitor numbers reach boiling point.
Spain has been in the grip of anti-tourism fever in recent weeks and months, with local communities in popular holiday resorts demanding a cap on visitor numbers.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tenerife in April as locals protested against mass tourism.
One of the most popular tourist destinations are the Balearic Islands, which attracted 18 million visitors in 2023.
Binibeca Vell is a small coastal town with 195 homeowners on the island of Menorca.
The narrow streets and whitewashed houses have led to it being called the “Mykonos of Spain”.
Every year, around 800,000 tourists take to the streets, eager to experience the beauty of the place and soak up its unique atmosphere.
However, the 500 locals living there have complained about the unruly behavior of some visitors, whom they accuse of disrespecting their property and invading their private lives.
Now it seems that the local population no longer wants to tolerate such abuses and has decided to take matters into their own hands.
New photos show many streets and areas cordoned off with ropes and chains, with signs saying “No Entry.”
It is just the latest step in a raging feud between the community and Spanish authorities on the island.
The president of the village's residents' association, Óscar Monge, accused the government of Menorca of failing to control tourism on the island.
He said: “Binibeca is promoted by the government and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get from it? We pay dearly because we are the most powerful tourist attraction in Menorca.”
The residents' organization receives €25,000 per year from the local government for repair and maintenance work on buildings.
However, Mr Monge believes that the sum of money is not enough and has sought a strategy for sustainable management of the region.
“It is outrageous that the politicians who run local tourism tell us that the only alternatives we have to keep the place clean are to close it, privatize it or start charging,” he said.
Locals plan to vote in August on whether to ban tourists as their patience runs out.