For its 200 residents, “that is a lot” said Oscar Monge, who runs a local residents’ association and would like the village “to be calmer”.
Binibeca Vell, on Menorca island, sits on a small bay with sparkling turquoise waters, and the picturesque village has become a major draw for visitors to Spain’s Mediterranean Balearic Isles.
A windfall for tour operators quick to promote the “fairytale” allure of this village, designed by Catalan architect Francisco Barba Corsini, the crowds are a source of irritation for locals forced to put up with the rude behaviour of some visitors.
“Everyone wants to come here to have their picture taken,” said Monge, whose association represents homeowners in this private residential community that was established in 1972.
“We don’t have anything against tourism, but sometimes it feels like we’re living in Disneyland Paris,” he sighed.
Behind him is a sign asking visitors to be “respectful” and “quiet”.
“We have put these up everywhere… because some tourists walk on the walls and climb up to the rooftops” or even open doors and go inside the homes “to see who is living there”, he said.
Residents recently decided to limit access to their picturesque streets, with visitors only allowed between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm.
And on August 15, they will vote on whether to go even further and ban visitors altogether.
But the initiative has raised debate.
“It’s good to limit visitors at night. But if the village is totally closed, it will have a negative effect on businesses,” said Maria Neyla Ramirez, who runs El Patio restaurant and is hoping to see “a bit of flexibility”.
And while many visitors understand, they also want to keep coming.
“For the people who live here, it’s special. But that’s tourism… we like to see beautiful things,” admits Jean-Marie Bassut, 66, from southeastern France.
Monge insists that it is possible to have a balance.
The village can’t have “busload after busload” of tourists coming in “without any kind of regulation,” he said, hoping the restrictions will raise awareness.
It’s not only Binibeca Vell that is affected by overtourism. Last year, a record 17.8 million people visited the Balearic Islands, both from Spain and abroad.
And the figures are expected to be even higher this year.
“The Balearic Isles have reached their limit,” regional leader Marga Prohens of the right-wing Popular Party (PP) said last week.
She said the “negative social impact” should be taken into account to make tourism “compatible with the residents’ lives”.
