Mallorca 2035: Between Bed Reductions and a Return to Small-Scale Farming

Can the island imagine itself as less touristic — without losing its people?

The central question that hummed through Palma today sounded simple and heavy at the same time: Can Mallorca significantly reduce tourist pressure by 2035 — without destroying the social situation of many families and communities? A paper was handed over on Plaça Cort that proposes exactly that: fewer beds, more diversity, more local production and clean energy. It is not a promise of salvation, but rather a catalogue of taboo breaks.

What is actually in it — and why is it new?

Briefly: a gradual reduction of tourist capacity, active promotion of small-scale farming, expansion of wind and hydropower, and a model for a 30-hour work week. Scientists and local experts contributed; the authors paint a picture of post-war development as the start of a system that is now overstretched in many areas. Less new is the criticism of mass tourism than the seemingly binding proposals: quantity limits, clear priorities for food production, and working-time models for the whole island society.

The voices on the Plaça: murmurs, applause, skepticism

In the morning there was the typical mix of interest and fear: a farmer from the Serra nodded, a hotel manager furrowed her brow and warned that transition periods and financial aid would be necessary. The tram puffed by on the Paseo Marítimo, tourists on e-scooters provided an almost surreal backdrop — while the debate behind the scenes had long since begun. Some neighbors in Santa Catalina long for less noise; others in Manacor fear for their families' incomes.

What is often missing in the public debate

A few aspects have so far received little attention. First: the fiscal dependence of many municipalities on tourism revenues. If beds disappear, the revenue base for services, infrastructure and municipal jobs shrinks immediately. Second: ownership structures — much land and many properties are in the hands of investors or non-residents; mere regulation of bed numbers does not automatically protect local households. Third: supply logistics — water, sewage, seasonal workers, accommodation for employees. And fourth: the question of social protection for workers during a transformation process — who provides retraining, who covers wage replacement during the transition?

Concrete opportunities and pragmatic steps

The proposal also has a surprisingly pragmatic side. Rather than falling into ideology, some feasible building blocks can be named: pilot zones where bed caps are tested; financial incentives for hotels that are converted into long-term rentals, social facilities or housing; municipal funds financed by targeted tourism levies to finance transition assistance. Also conceivable are agricultural cooperatives that guarantee local value creation and sign direct supply contracts with restaurants and supermarkets.

On energy, it is less about a mammoth project than many small projects: community wind farms, storage solutions for municipalities, use of relieved areas for groundwater retention and reforestation. And the 30-hour week: sensible as a pilot in seasonal businesses, linked to productivity gains and further training — not as an abrupt flat-rate change.

The hurdles remain large

Despite good ideas, technical and political hurdles should not be underestimated. Planning laws, EU funding conditions, property rights and simply political majorities. Financing must be distributed transparently so that the wrong actors do not benefit. And above all: transition arrangements must respond socially, otherwise impoverishment and migration from rural areas threaten.

A plausible scenario until 2035

A realistic timeline could look like this: by 2027 pilot projects and legal frameworks, 2028–2032 targeted retraining, selective decommissioning in certain places, expansion of local energy projects; 2033–2035 broad evaluation and scaling. This is not a sprint but a slow pace. But it could buy time — for businesses, families and nature.

Why this debate matters right now

When you stand on the Paseo and hear the tram, you realize: Mallorca is not an island of distance but a place making decisions now. The vision presented is provocative and incomplete. But it puts a question on the agenda that is relevant not only to activists: How do we want to live, work and breathe here tomorrow? Whether one likes the proposed measures or not — the discussion will change Mallorca. What matters is that it is conducted not only in Palma's bodies but on fincas, in markets and in hotels.

The island has time — if it sets the right course. It will get louder, and that is good; only then can compromises emerge that might endure.