¿Mí Mallorca?
Mallorca, April 2025 - ongoing
¿Mi Mallorca? explores the juxtaposition between tourists and locals on the island of Mallorca - where, as in many other parts of the world, different cultures rest on the cusp of harmonious coexistence or increasingly tense dissonance. Early in 2025, tens of thousands marched through Palma de Mallorca, calling for limits on tourism to the beautiful Balearic Island, which had seen a record-breaking 15 million tourists in 2024. This anti-tourist sentiment echoes that which has been growing in Barcelona and other parts of mainland Spain, where locals protest the effects of over-tourism on their cost of living and culture. Not surprisingly, increased demand for Airbnbs is driving up house prices and the ‘tourist tax’ renders certain restaurants and bars unaffordable for locals.
Whilst this sentiment is shared by many locals, for good reason, others warn of the dangers of reducing tourism in Mallorca, which is the island’s main source of economic activity. Without it, the main source of income and wellbeing for the majority of residents could be equally harmed. In an ideal world, the number of tourists would be reduced, the island would change its socioeconomic model to be more diverse and foreigners visiting and living on the island would make a greater effort to adopt the local language and culture. But as we know, an ideal world isn’t always so easy to secure.
Through this ongoing project, I am exploring a range of questions; Where does tourism belong? Is it possible to photograph how people feel about each other? How easy is it to differentiate between a local and a visitor? Do tourists have a right to claim a foreign place as their (second) home? What does it mean to culturally adapt? Can we ever? Is the anti-tourism sentiment really that prevalent? It seems countered by the locals who warmly greet me on my way home from the market, who teach me words in the Catalan dialect and welcome my portrait requests with a smile.
What is happening in Mallorca is not a new experience – tension between locals and foreigners is an age-old and global phenomenon, in ways both big and small. This project is about investigating the nature of travel – both its joys and its costs.
