Chaos in Majorca as mega cruise ships with over 15,000 passengers dock in Palma

Saturday saw four huge cruise ships dock in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, with a combined capacity of over 15,000 passengers, and the city is not too pleased about it.

In 2022 there was an agreement between the Balearic Government and the CLIA cruise lines association that stipulated 8,000 people, with one 'mega' cruise ship being allowed per day. This Saturday there were two ships that fall into this category and exceed the capacity by an eye-watering 6,000.

While the CLIA has acknowledged that the agreed limit has been exceeded, they argued that there was no breach of the average daily passenger count. The week's average falls just over 4,000 with one of the mega ships, AIDAcosma, operating from Palma, along with one of the smaller ships, the Marella Voyager.

A former tourism councillor at Palma Town Hall and now working for the main opposition party in Mallorca, PSOE, has criticised the government for allowing the "historic" agreement to "die." Joana Maria Adrover believes that the agreement acted as "an international example of sustainability and common sense."

Not only did the agreement allow for limitations of the ships coming into Palma but also meant that it was protecting residents, the local environment, and "coexistence with tourism." Despite this agreement expiring at the end of 2026, there has been no action from the government to renew it.

According to Adrover, cruise operators are already finalising itineraries for 2027, with no sort of limitations or actions preventing them from the current government. She explained: "It's not about being against tourism or cruises; it is a matter of planning to ensure that growth is not infinite in a territory that is finite, that does have limits, and that is as delicate as the Balearic Islands."

Jaume Garau of the Palma XXI pressure group shared: "This is not the first time they have overstepped the limit; they have done it before. Margalida Ramis of the environmentalists GOB questions the usefulness of an agreement that is not binding.

"This is an agreement that lacks any solidity and is not a legitimate tool. There must be an agreement that goes beyond good intentions, "Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.

This comes after residents have already shown their frustration with the sheer amount of tourism overtaking the island. In June, Palma saw protestors demanding an end to the "touristification" of their hometowns. They took a stand, following on from last year's demonstration that saw roughly 10,000 locals storm the streets of the city asking for "no mass tourism" and to "stop private jets."

Following the protests, Majorca tourism officials have seen a significant drop in visitors to the island. Majorca Daily Bulletin has also reported that industry representatives have seen a sizeable decrease in tourist footfall this year compared to others, which could act as a warning sign to the rest of the travel industry.