Miguel Praga

🚩 Seven anti-tourism activist groups in Mallorca wrote a letter to visitors asking them to refrain from coming, blaming tourists for the island's tourism saturation crisis. The letter suggests Mallorca's half-a-million hotel accommodations, made in the last century, and the recent approval of 100,000 legal tourist apartment and home spaces by the last government, are not the tourists' fault. No political party, not even the left-wing ones, suggest eliminating tourist accommodations in the Balearics, unlike Barcelona's planned suspension of 10,000 vacation apartment permits by 2028. The anti-tourism letter expresses hostility and lack of hospitality towards visitors.

🏕 Japan targets 60 million tourists by 2030 but implements a dual pricing system to combat overtourism. Foreigners will pay 8,800 yen versus 6,930 yen for locals at Junguria Okinawa Park opening this July. Himeji Castle differentiates by residence, not nationality. Similar policies exist in Thailand (Emerald Temple) and India (Taj Mahal). Ordinary tourist expenses like hotels, consumption, and transportation remain unaffected.

🛫 Javier Gándara, president of the Asociación de Líneas Aéreas (ALA), warns about a financial strain caused by the Spanish Government's non-payment of subsidies owed to airlines for resident discounts in the Canary Islands, Balearics, Ceuta, and Melilla. The unpaid amount for 2024 reaches €425 million, nearly depleting the 2025 budget of €560 million, initially allocated to cover these expenses. The expected cost for 2025 is €1.250 billion. Airline capacity between the Canary Islands and the mainland increased by 9.6% to 61.81 million seats in 2024, and connections between the Balearics and the mainland rose by 6% to 55 million seats.

✈ A non-binary passenger filed a lawsuit against Ryanair in 2021 for not providing a gender-neutral option in their booking system. The incident occurred when the individual attempted to book a flight from Berlin to Gran Canaria. They are seeking over £4,000 (around €4,800) in compensation and demand a change in the airline's platform. Ryanair refused an out-of-court settlement, leading the non-binary person to take the case to the state court in Berlin.

🚨 European embassies warn citizens about public disorder in Turkey, notably in Istanbul, after the arrest of city mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish lira fell nearly 6%, and the stock market plummeted about 9%, prompting state bank intervention. WhatsApp and X were blocked on Thursday. No spread to holiday areas, currently in low demand, reported.