Vocabulary

gigantic	paradise	holidaymaker
expect	divide (2)	record braking
lovely	crowded	incredible
damage	definitely	dependent
annoy	existence	pensioner
local	campaign	harmonious
airbnb	lucrative	accommodation
earn	tie up (2)	high season
spill (2)	mainstay	representative (2)
pollute	record (3)	atmosphere (2)
dry land	green (3)	affordable
join	fight back	cruise ship
protest	notice (2)	foundation (3)
seabed	dilemma	reserve (2)
descend	horde (2)	minister (2)
limit	long-term	manage (2)
head for	authority	nature reserve
go on	block (3)	strike a balance
stranger

 
 
 
 
 

Video: Mass Tourism in Mallorca

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Another day in paradise: holidaymakers on the beach of Palma. It looks like once again, a record breaking year; more than ten million visitors are expected.

Is that just too many?

Opinion is divided.

Tourists One: “It’s lovely. The weather’s great. People are nice. The food, the drink. It’s all good.”

Tourist Two: “This is the fortieth time I’ve been here. It’s incredibly crowded. You definitely notice that people are not going to Egypt or Turkey anymore.

So it’s incredibly crowded.”

In summer, the hordes make their way through the streets of Palma Old Town.

Pensioners Manel and Jurme feel like strangers in their own city.

This is what annoys them: the city is becoming unaffordable for locals. More and more blocks of flats are being turned into the more lucrative tourist accommodation, thanks to Airbnb and co.

Manel Gomariz, Pensioners for Mallorca: “A lot of people can’t afford rents here. A normal worker earns around a thousand euros (€1,000) a month. It’s very difficult for them in Palma now.

Palma Resident One: “We’re a family of four. We used to pay six-hundred and fifty euros (€650) a month in rent. Now flats cost a thousand euros.

Many people are moving away from here.”

It’s high season at the harbor. Several cruise ships tie up here every day, spilling hordes of tourists onto dry land.

Thousands descend on Palma Old Town.

Just how much the gigantic ships pollute the atmosphere is not clear.

But green campaigners are fighting back against cruise ship tourism. Representatives from Barcelona, Lisbon and Venice join the protests. These are all cities damaged by tourism.

Maria Fina, Venice Environmental Group: “These ships don’t just bring too many people to Venice, the worse thing is they damage the environment, the foundations of houses, the air and the seabed.

They’re a threat to our city.”

It’s a difficult dilemma for the authorities.

Tourism is the mainstay of Mallorca’s economy. The visitors spend twelve-billion euros (€12,000) last year (1916).

Gabriel Barcelo, Mallorca Regional Tourism Minister: “We know we’re completely dependent on tourism. And because of that, we have to manage it so that we can have problem free tourism in the long-term.

For that reason, we also have to limit its growth.”

Pensioners Manel and Jume head for a beach in the middle of a nature reserve. Rubbish lies everywhere around.

It can’t go on like this, they say. There has to be limits.

Mallorca wants to create a harmonious existence between holidaymakers and locals. But that’s a difficult balance to strike.

 

 

Questions

1. Many tourists visit Mallorca. Yes or no? Do they like the island? How do they feel?

2. “You definitely notice that people are not going to Egypt or Turkey anymore.” What does this mean?

3. All locals welcome the visitors. Is this entirely correct, mostly correct, in the middle, yes and no, mostly false, or completely false? Do locals often feel foreigners in Palma? Why do they feel this way?

4. Is everyone pleased about the cruise ships? Why are some or many people opposed to them?

5. Only Mallorcans are concerned about mass tourism. Is this right or wrong?

6. Does Mallorca’s economy consist of a mix of agriculture, fishing, finance, and manufacturing?

7. The local minister of tourism wants more tourism and development. Is this correct or incorrect? What does he say?

 

A. Many tourists visit my city or country. Yes or no? If yes what do they do?

B. Is there “mass tourism” in your country?

C. Have you visited places that were packed with tourists? Have you been to places that were overcrowd?

D. Do businesses, residents and the government want more, less or the same amount of tourists? Is everyone in agreement?

E. What will happen in the future?

F. What is the “solution” to mass tourism?