I’ve just returned to the UK from a Spanish city that was still a summery 26C in November and there were hardly any tourists. The destination has recently been labelled as an anti-tourism holiday spot, but all the locals I met were really friendly – and I got an insight as to why some holidaymakers may not be as welcome.

Having visited the city of Palma in Mallorca a handful of times over previous years, this was my first out-of-season trip to the largest Balearic island, but I’d definitely go during November again. The weather was still pleasantly warm and sunny and all the Mallorcan people I met were so friendly, plus it was really nice to be able to travel around the city and the island without the huge crowds. During summer 2025, the peak season for tourists, large-scale anti-tourism protests took to the streets of Palma with locals carrying placards telling holidaymakers to go home – and to be honest, I don’t blame them.

I can relate to tourism woes, having grown up in Devon where there are similar issues – and I’ve even experienced living next door to an Airbnb a few years ago which presented some non-local problems.

Mallorca struggles with over-tourism in the summer months when the island becomes saturated with visitors. But off-season travel is a more sustainable way to enjoy the island while respecting locals – and getting an authentic experience of Mallorcan life.

Despite being British, I appreciate that some Brits abroad can be a real pain in popular holiday spots, with binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour highlighted as one of the problems blighting many a Spanish resort.

On top of that, short-term holiday lets in tourism spots have blown totally out of control in many popular destinations, which is the case in the Mallorcan city of Palma, as well as many other places in Spain, such as Barcelona.

But this problem of homes being turned into holiday cottages, Airbnb lettings, or similar is widespread across the globe, from Cornwall to London and Spain to America, plus everywhere in between.

A family living in Mallorca told me that peak season on the island is a nightmare for residents, with parking issues wreaking havoc along with a massive influx in the volume of traffic.

The local family said it was difficult for them to enjoy summertime as the beaches are “too crowded”, there’s nowhere to park, plus many restaurants, especially in Palma, become “too busy”.

One born-and-bred Mallorcan woman said that many locals are angry due to rapidly rising rents – as when there are mass holiday rentals such as Airbnb in a neighbourhood the ‘average’ rent goes up due to an overall comparison (which includes high holiday home rents).

She also said there is a “worrying shortage of affordable housing” especially in the capital Palma – and Mallorca is a relatively small island, about 62 miles wide, so building more “affordable” homes is not an easy option.

I often wonder: if all these holiday homes were turned back into homes for locals, how much of a housing crisis would there be in the UK – or indeed in Mallorca?

Putting tourism first creates places that become almost unliveable for local people, and this makes no sense. I think something is very wrong if governments aren’t prioritising housing for locals – and I completely understand the need to protest.

Over-tourism also brings too much traffic, unmanageable crowds and huge parking woes which is unpleasant for residents and visitors alike. While in Mallorca, I travelled around the island by bus which is easy and efficient.

Walking Palma’s tree-lined streets in November when hardly any tourists visit is my kind of city break, and although the Christmas lights are not on yet, they will be soon (on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 8pm).

I can imagine that the festive lights will look wonderful when the official Christmas lights switch-on takes place in Palma as some star-shaped decorations were already lining the streets ready for this event. 

The streets were so shiny and clean in Palma, I didn’t see a single person dropping litter, whereas in the UK I often see adults – and kids – dropping rubbish on the roads or in beauty spots.

I stayed in the HM Palma Blanc hotel while in Mallorca, which was really friendly, luxurious and comfortable with an amazing breakfast, I generally avoid Airbnb-style holiday lets whenever possible as I understand the devastation they can cause in touristy areas. 

With an array of markets in the capital city along with independent shops and great places to eat, I’d definitely visit Mallorca in winter-time again, it was really pleasant.