&quot;Tourist go home&quot;. The slogan daubed on a wall in the centre of Palma, the capital of Spain&#39;s holiday island of Mallorca, points to growing frustration with a rising tide of tourists. 
 
The largest island in the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean, which is home to one million people, expects to receive over ten million visitors this year, a new record. 
 
The crowds have been so large that French tourist Mathilde Boudet, who visited Mallorca and its neighbouring island Menorca with her partner last month, found access to a popular cove closed off by police. 
 
&quot;We weren`t expecting that,&quot; the 32-year-old said. 
 
Spain is enjoying a surge in tourism, in part as fears over terrorism drive wary travellers away from rival sunshine destinations in North Africa and Turkey and back to former favourites in southern Europe. 
 
But the rise in visitors has led to grumbling from locals in tourist hotspots like Palma, who complain of soaring property prices and rents even as they welcome the jobs they help create.&nbsp;The discomfort was reflected in graffiti messages which appeared in April in the historical heart of Palma which were quickly cleaned up by municipal workers. 
 
&quot;Tourism is destroying our city&quot; was among the slogans spray painted on city walls along with &quot;Tourist go home, refugees welcome&quot;. 
 
Roughly 80 per cent of Mallorca&#39;s economy depends on tourism.&nbsp;The island has long been a popular beach destination, especially with visitors from Britain and Germany who favour all-inclusive package holidays and arrive on low-cost flights.&nbsp;Many foreigners move to Mallorca, drawn by its cove beaches and mild weather. 
 
Foreigners account for 40 per cent of property sales in Mallorca, according to German premium real estate agency Engel &amp; Voelkers. In the trendy Santa Catalina neighbourhood, a former fisherman&#39;s quarter west of the city centre, with traditional homes with forest-green shutters, 14 real estate agencies market properties, often in English. 
 
The neighbourhood is gradually changing as boutiques selling vintage clothing and stores offering Vespa scooters for rent replace traditional shops.&nbsp;A small apartment can fetch hundreds of thousands of Euros. An old fisherman&#39;s house that was converted to a luxury triplex is listed for 577,500 Euros ($642,665).&nbsp;&quot;Islanders can&#39;t afford it,&quot; said Jacinta Galindo, the president of the Santa Catalina neighbours association. 
 
Rents too are on the rise. A two bedroom apartment in Santa Catalina rents for 700 Euros a month, while the average salary for a waiter is 1,100-1,200 Euros.&nbsp;But despite the complaints from locals over rising real estate prices, Galindo said the graffiti was &quot;an isolated case&quot;. 
 
In the central La Seu neighbourhood, home to Palma&#39;s main monument such as its imposing cathedral that dominates the city&#39;s palm-lined waterfront, residents want the arrival of cruise ships to be more evenly spread out. 
 
The ships, which are avoiding Tunisia and Turkey due to terrorist attacks, can pump thousands of tourists into the city for just a few hours, said Luis Clar, who heads the La Seu neighbours association. &quot;There is a percentage, which is not yet very high but which exists, of people who question the effects of tourism,&quot; said Biel Barcelo, the tourism minister in the regional government of the Balearic islands. 
 
The left-wing government in charge of the archipelago since 2015 began charging in July a tourism tax of up to two Euros for overnight stays, which is expected to bring in 60 million Euros per year. 
 
The money will be used for environmental projects and to restore historical sights. 
 
Local green group GOB feels the tax is not enough. They fear rising tourism is putting too much pressure on natural resources like water and demand a limit on the number of tourist lodgings. 
 
There are 230,000 hotel beds available in Mallorca, according to industry figures.&nbsp;But this does not count beds available through home rental sites such as Airbnb &quot;contributing to a sense of saturation, which has grown in the past two years,&quot; said GOB spokeswoman Margalida Ramis. 
 
Mallorca has become &quot;Barcelona&#39;s granddaughter&quot;, she added in a reference to Spain&#39;s second-largest city which has struggled to deal with the effects of a visitor boom. 
 
Barcelona mayor Ada Colau in July 2015 halted the issue of new hotel licences for one year and has introduced hefty fines for illegal rental of apartments to tourists. 
 
(AFP)

'Tourism is destroying our city' was among the slogans spray painted on city walls, along with 'Tourist go home, refugees welcome'

"Tourist go home". The slogan daubed on a wall in the centre of Palma, the capital of Spain's holiday island of Mallorca, points to growing frustration with a rising tide of tourists. The largest island in the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean, which is home to one million people, expects to receive over ten million visitors this year, a new record. The crowds have been so large that French tourist Mathilde Boudet, who visited Mallorca and its neighbouring island Menorca with her partner last month, found access to a popular cove closed off by police. "We weren`t expecting that," the 32-year-old said. Spain is enjoying a surge in tourism, in part as fears over terrorism drive wary travellers away from rival sunshine destinations in North Africa and Turkey and back to former favourites in southern Europe. But the rise in visitors has led to grumbling from locals in tourist hotspots like Palma, who complain of soaring property prices and rents even as they welcome the jobs they help create. The discomfort was reflected in graffiti messages which appeared in April in the historical heart of Palma which were quickly cleaned up by municipal workers. "Tourism is destroying our city" was among the slogans spray painted on city walls along with "Tourist go home, refugees welcome". Roughly 80 per cent of Mallorca's economy depends on tourism. The island has long been a popular beach destination, especially with visitors from Britain and Germany who favour all-inclusive package holidays and arrive on low-cost flights. Many foreigners move to Mallorca, drawn by its cove beaches and mild weather. Foreigners account for 40 per cent of property sales in Mallorca, according to German premium real estate agency Engel & Voelkers. In the trendy Santa Catalina neighbourhood, a former fisherman's quarter west of the city centre, with traditional homes with forest-green shutters, 14 real estate agencies market properties, often in English. The neighbourhood is gradually changing as boutiques selling vintage clothing and stores offering Vespa scooters for rent replace traditional shops. A small apartment can fetch hundreds of thousands of Euros. An old fisherman's house that was converted to a luxury triplex is listed for 577,500 Euros ($642,665). "Islanders can't afford it," said Jacinta Galindo, the president of the Santa Catalina neighbours association. Rents too are on the rise. A two bedroom apartment in Santa Catalina rents for 700 Euros a month, while the average salary for a waiter is 1,100-1,200 Euros. But despite the complaints from locals over rising real estate prices, Galindo said the graffiti was "an isolated case". In the central La Seu neighbourhood, home to Palma's main monument such as its imposing cathedral that dominates the city's palm-lined waterfront, residents want the arrival of cruise ships to be more evenly spread out. The ships, which are avoiding Tunisia and Turkey due to terrorist attacks, can pump thousands of tourists into the city for just a few hours, said Luis Clar, who heads the La Seu neighbours association. "There is a percentage, which is not yet very high but which exists, of people who question the effects of tourism," said Biel Barcelo, the tourism minister in the regional government of the Balearic islands. The left-wing government in charge of the archipelago since 2015 began charging in July a tourism tax of up to two Euros for overnight stays, which is expected to bring in 60 million Euros per year. The money will be used for environmental projects and to restore historical sights. Local green group GOB feels the tax is not enough. They fear rising tourism is putting too much pressure on natural resources like water and demand a limit on the number of tourist lodgings. There are 230,000 hotel beds available in Mallorca, according to industry figures. But this does not count beds available through home rental sites such as Airbnb "contributing to a sense of saturation, which has grown in the past two years," said GOB spokeswoman Margalida Ramis. Mallorca has become "Barcelona's granddaughter", she added in a reference to Spain's second-largest city which has struggled to deal with the effects of a visitor boom. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau in July 2015 halted the issue of new hotel licences for one year and has introduced hefty fines for illegal rental of apartments to tourists. (AFP)

Spain's Mallorca struggles with rising tourism tide

The tourists are so scarce you can hear their footsteps clattering down the empty shopping street. Nearly a week after the deadly airport bombings, it is eerily quiet in Istanbul. 
 
The magic of Turkey&#39;s biggest city has been seducing visitors for centuries, from its array of historic mosques and palaces to its stunning views over the sparkling Bosphorus. 
 
But for people working in the once-thriving tourist trade, Tuesday&#39;s gun and suicide bomb spree represents one more nail in the coffin for an industry already reeling from a string of attacks this year. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s disastrous,&quot; said Orhan Sonmez as he stood hopelessly offering tours of the Hagia Sophia, the cavernous former mosque and church that is now a museum. 
 
&quot;All my life I&#39;ve been a tour guide. Most of us have come to a turning point where we don`t know if we can go on. It&#39;s tragic.&quot; 
 
Restaurants sit empty in the Sultanahmet tourist district, and five-star hotel rooms can be booked for bargain prices. 
 
In happier years the queues outside the Hagia Sophia might have stretched an hour or longer at this time of year, today you can walk straight in and share the place with just a smattering of other visitors. 
 
To add to the ghost town feel, many Istanbulites have left the city for Bayram, a nine-day nationwide holiday that began Saturday. Nineteen foreigners were among the 45 people killed at Ataturk airport by suspected Islamic State jihadists, and analysts say the attack may have been a deliberate attempt to weaken the Turkish state by hitting its tourist industry. 
 
The group had already been blamed for a January suicide blast that killed 12 German tourists in Sultanahmet, while three Israelis and an Iranian died in another on the Istiklal shopping street in March. 
 
The Teyr?baz?n Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK) , a radical Kurdish group that has carried out several attacks in Turkey this year, also warned foreign tourists to stay away after it killed 11 people in an Istanbul car bombing in June. 
 
The United States, Germany and several other countries have warned their nationals against threats in Turkey, which is a candidate to join the European Union. 
 
Those still arriving say they are enjoying the peace and quiet, while taking a philosophical approach at a time when jihadist attacks have gone global. 
 
&quot;This could happen in any city, it`s an unlucky lottery,&quot; said Irish visitor Nessa Feehan, perusing Sultanhamet`s empty shops as she whiled away a stopover on her way to India. 
 
&quot;The people are really friendly, and I really think I&#39;ll come back and spend some more time here.&quot;In May, Turkey suffered its worst drop-off in visits in 22 years, down 35 per cent from a year ago as an industry which ordinarily brings in 30 billion Euros ($33.2 billion) went into free fall. 
 
This was partly a result of a Russian ban on Turkish package holidays that Moscow had slapped on Ankara over a bitter diplomatic row. 
 
That ban was lifted last week as the two countries made up -- cause for celebration in the resort province of Antalya, where Russians traditionally come to sun themselves in their droves. 
 
That will be a boost for the tourist industry as a whole, but Russians tend to plump for all-inclusive deals on Turkey&#39;s turquoise coast rather than heading to Istanbul to soak up history. 
 
&quot;If it goes on like this, many shops will close,&quot; said Ismail Celebi, worrying at a string of prayer beads in one hand as he sat at the gleaming counter of his jewellery shop.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I&#39;m thinking of moving to America. I can&#39;t make money here.&quot; 
 
The large Chinese tour groups still arriving are about the only bright spot on the horizon, said Celebi, adding that they spend &quot;crazy money&quot;. 
 
&quot;But it&#39;s not enough,&quot; he said. &quot;We need Americans, we need Europeans.&quot; 
 
His shop is just a stone&#39;s throw from the scene of the Sultanahmet bombing that left a dozen Germans dead six months ago -- and Celebi said he didn&#39;t blame people for not wanting to come. 
 
&quot;Even I&#39;m afraid to come to work here,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)

Restaurants sit empty in the Sultanahmet tourist district, and five-star hotel rooms can be booked for bargain prices

The tourists are so scarce you can hear their footsteps clattering down the empty shopping street. Nearly a week after the deadly airport bombings, it is eerily quiet in Istanbul. The magic of Turkey's biggest city has been seducing visitors for centuries, from its array of historic mosques and palaces to its stunning views over the sparkling Bosphorus. But for people working in the once-thriving tourist trade, Tuesday's gun and suicide bomb spree represents one more nail in the coffin for an industry already reeling from a string of attacks this year. "It's disastrous," said Orhan Sonmez as he stood hopelessly offering tours of the Hagia Sophia, the cavernous former mosque and church that is now a museum. "All my life I've been a tour guide. Most of us have come to a turning point where we don`t know if we can go on. It's tragic." Restaurants sit empty in the Sultanahmet tourist district, and five-star hotel rooms can be booked for bargain prices. In happier years the queues outside the Hagia Sophia might have stretched an hour or longer at this time of year, today you can walk straight in and share the place with just a smattering of other visitors. To add to the ghost town feel, many Istanbulites have left the city for Bayram, a nine-day nationwide holiday that began Saturday. Nineteen foreigners were among the 45 people killed at Ataturk airport by suspected Islamic State jihadists, and analysts say the attack may have been a deliberate attempt to weaken the Turkish state by hitting its tourist industry. The group had already been blamed for a January suicide blast that killed 12 German tourists in Sultanahmet, while three Israelis and an Iranian died in another on the Istiklal shopping street in March. The Teyr?baz?n Azadiya Kurdistan (TAK) , a radical Kurdish group that has carried out several attacks in Turkey this year, also warned foreign tourists to stay away after it killed 11 people in an Istanbul car bombing in June. The United States, Germany and several other countries have warned their nationals against threats in Turkey, which is a candidate to join the European Union. Those still arriving say they are enjoying the peace and quiet, while taking a philosophical approach at a time when jihadist attacks have gone global. "This could happen in any city, it`s an unlucky lottery," said Irish visitor Nessa Feehan, perusing Sultanhamet`s empty shops as she whiled away a stopover on her way to India. "The people are really friendly, and I really think I'll come back and spend some more time here."In May, Turkey suffered its worst drop-off in visits in 22 years, down 35 per cent from a year ago as an industry which ordinarily brings in 30 billion Euros ($33.2 billion) went into free fall. This was partly a result of a Russian ban on Turkish package holidays that Moscow had slapped on Ankara over a bitter diplomatic row. That ban was lifted last week as the two countries made up -- cause for celebration in the resort province of Antalya, where Russians traditionally come to sun themselves in their droves. That will be a boost for the tourist industry as a whole, but Russians tend to plump for all-inclusive deals on Turkey's turquoise coast rather than heading to Istanbul to soak up history. "If it goes on like this, many shops will close," said Ismail Celebi, worrying at a string of prayer beads in one hand as he sat at the gleaming counter of his jewellery shop. "I'm thinking of moving to America. I can't make money here." The large Chinese tour groups still arriving are about the only bright spot on the horizon, said Celebi, adding that they spend "crazy money". "But it's not enough," he said. "We need Americans, we need Europeans." His shop is just a stone's throw from the scene of the Sultanahmet bombing that left a dozen Germans dead six months ago -- and Celebi said he didn't blame people for not wanting to come. "Even I'm afraid to come to work here," he said. (AFP)

Ghost town: Eerie silence stalks Istanbul as tourists stay away

Private equity investments in January-March amounted to $3.1 billion through 160 transactions, registering a moderate two per cent decline in terms of deal value over last year, says a PwC report.&nbsp;PwC is India&#39;s one of the leading auditing and consulting firms. 
 
In comparison with the year-ago period, there was a considerable decline of 24 per cent in terms of deals numbers. January-March 2015 quarter had seen 211 deals worth $3.16 billion. 
 
&quot;Indian macros continue to gain health and this is likely to spur M&amp;A and funding activities over the next few months - however we expect this to be sectoral,&quot; PwC India leader Private Equity Sanjeev Krishan said. 
 
A sectoral analysis shows despite a shortfall in big deals in e-commerce, the information technology &amp; IT-enabled services (IT&amp;ITeS) sector continued its dominance with an investment flow totaling $1.26 billion in 92 deals. 
 
&quot;The Digital India programme and ongoing efforts on Smart Cities are driving spending on software and IT services,&quot; Sandeep Ladda, leader - Technology, PwC India said. &quot;The expected growth in the sector will provide more opportunities for investors.&quot; 
 
Banking, financial services and insurance sector (BFSI) came a distant second, attracting $430 million. With a single deal, the travel and tourism sector added $321 million to its account. 
 
&quot;There has been a definite slowdown in the e-commerce/ digital and consumer internet deals and the next few months are likely to see some consolidation in the sector,&quot; Krishan said. 
 
According to PwC MoneyTree India report, a quarterly study of private equity investment activity based on data provided by Venture Intelligence, appetite for private equity continued to be strong with late-stage investments of $1.32 billion invested into mature companies. 
 
Growth-stage investments also played a significant role, attracting $918 million in the first quarter of this calender year, the report said. 
 
From a regional standpoint, Delhi-National Capital Region had an edge over others in January-March with $914 million, whereas Bengaluru saw investments of $875 million. 
(PTI)

Information technology, banking and tourism firms bagged a total of $3.1 billion fund in the first three months of 2016

Private equity investments in January-March amounted to $3.1 billion through 160 transactions, registering a moderate two per cent decline in terms of deal value over last year, says a PwC report. PwC is India's one of the leading auditing and consulting firms. In comparison with the year-ago period, there was a considerable decline of 24 per cent in terms of deals numbers. January-March 2015 quarter had seen 211 deals worth $3.16 billion. "Indian macros continue to gain health and this is likely to spur M&A and funding activities over the next few months - however we expect this to be sectoral," PwC India leader Private Equity Sanjeev Krishan said. A sectoral analysis shows despite a shortfall in big deals in e-commerce, the information technology & IT-enabled services (IT&ITeS) sector continued its dominance with an investment flow totaling $1.26 billion in 92 deals. "The Digital India programme and ongoing efforts on Smart Cities are driving spending on software and IT services," Sandeep Ladda, leader - Technology, PwC India said. "The expected growth in the sector will provide more opportunities for investors." Banking, financial services and insurance sector (BFSI) came a distant second, attracting $430 million. With a single deal, the travel and tourism sector added $321 million to its account. "There has been a definite slowdown in the e-commerce/ digital and consumer internet deals and the next few months are likely to see some consolidation in the sector," Krishan said. According to PwC MoneyTree India report, a quarterly study of private equity investment activity based on data provided by Venture Intelligence, appetite for private equity continued to be strong with late-stage investments of $1.32 billion invested into mature companies. Growth-stage investments also played a significant role, attracting $918 million in the first quarter of this calender year, the report said. From a regional standpoint, Delhi-National Capital Region had an edge over others in January-March with $914 million, whereas Bengaluru saw investments of $875 million. (PTI)

India attracted $3.1 billion worth private equity investment from January to March: PwC

Cuba&#39;s iconic capital Havana is set to receive another boost to its flourishing tourism industry as the Caribbean city was chosen as one of the seven &#39;Wonder&#39;&nbsp;cities&nbsp;of the world in a global online poll. 
 
The global competition was organised by the Swiss New7Wonders foundation and put Havana in fourth place, behind the cities of Beirut, Dohan and Durban. 
 
The public vote was whittled down from 28 shortlisted cities. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s the achievement of the Cuban people, of the experts, all the fans, the tourists who love Cuba, to have voted for La Habana, I think it&#39;s an important recognition because it creates consciousness, consciousness of conservation and also consciousness to project the future of the city,&quot; said Bernard Weber, founder and president of the New7Wonders Foundation. 
 
With nearly 500 years of history under its belt, the Cuban capital has drawn large crowds to its prized place in the Caribbean for centuries. According to officials behind the vote, Cuba&#39;s revolutionary history, liberal lifestyle, socio-economic cities and architecture put it ahead of dozens of other cities vying for the much-coveted title. 
 
The Morro Castle, the Alicia Alonso Grand Theatre and the Giraldilla statue are among Havana&#39;s icons. 
 
A monument will be unveiled at Havana&#39;s San Salvador de la Punta castle to celebrate the capital&#39;s new title. 
 
Official events will also be held until this Saturday&nbsp;to celebrate the honour including ballet performances and concerts from performers like the Buena Vista Social Club. 
 
The title comes as Cuba&#39;s tourism industry sees record numbers of international visitors following its truce with former Cold War foe the United States.&nbsp;Cubans see the accomplishment as a crowning moment. 
 
&quot;This naming is owed to our roots, our&nbsp;culture, the diversity there is in the Cuban population, the contrast between the old and the new, which is surging now, and that makes it all beautiful,&quot; said Cuban citizen, Yelina Aguilera. 
 
Cuba received a record 3.52 million visitors last year, up 17.4 per cent from 2014. American visits rose 77 per cent to 161,000, not counting hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans. 
 
No European or North American cities featured in top 7. The full list of winners in alphabetical order are Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, La Paz and Vigan.

The Cuban capital was chosen as one of the seven in a global online poll by a Swiss-based foundation

Cuba's iconic capital Havana is set to receive another boost to its flourishing tourism industry as the Caribbean city was chosen as one of the seven 'Wonder' cities of the world in a global online poll. The global competition was organised by the Swiss New7Wonders foundation and put Havana in fourth place, behind the cities of Beirut, Dohan and Durban. The public vote was whittled down from 28 shortlisted cities. "It's the achievement of the Cuban people, of the experts, all the fans, the tourists who love Cuba, to have voted for La Habana, I think it's an important recognition because it creates consciousness, consciousness of conservation and also consciousness to project the future of the city," said Bernard Weber, founder and president of the New7Wonders Foundation. With nearly 500 years of history under its belt, the Cuban capital has drawn large crowds to its prized place in the Caribbean for centuries. According to officials behind the vote, Cuba's revolutionary history, liberal lifestyle, socio-economic cities and architecture put it ahead of dozens of other cities vying for the much-coveted title. The Morro Castle, the Alicia Alonso Grand Theatre and the Giraldilla statue are among Havana's icons. A monument will be unveiled at Havana's San Salvador de la Punta castle to celebrate the capital's new title. Official events will also be held until this Saturday to celebrate the honour including ballet performances and concerts from performers like the Buena Vista Social Club. The title comes as Cuba's tourism industry sees record numbers of international visitors following its truce with former Cold War foe the United States. Cubans see the accomplishment as a crowning moment. "This naming is owed to our roots, our culture, the diversity there is in the Cuban population, the contrast between the old and the new, which is surging now, and that makes it all beautiful," said Cuban citizen, Yelina Aguilera. Cuba received a record 3.52 million visitors last year, up 17.4 per cent from 2014. American visits rose 77 per cent to 161,000, not counting hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans. No European or North American cities featured in top 7. The full list of winners in alphabetical order are Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, La Paz and Vigan.

Havana honoured as one of seven 'Wonder' cities

tourism

Tourism, News on Tourism, stories on Tourism, articles on Tourism, Tourism stories at Wion, Tourism news, Tourism latest news