Government spokesman Antoni Costa conceded today that the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, have "reached their limit" and firm action will be taken.

"Is there saturation in the Balearic Islands? Yes, there is saturation in the Balearic Islands. Have we reached the limit? Yes, we have reached the limit. The Government is working to try to tackle a real problem for the resident population. In fact, the tourism decree goes in this direction: containment, limits, it's over, there are no more places," said Mr. Costa who is also Minister of Economy, Finance and Innovation,.

The spokesman for the Balearic government spoke out after widespread criticism of remarks made by the islands' president Marga Prohens who was reported as saying that Mallorca was not saturated. He said her words referred to the situation that had been experienced over Easter.

"The Government has never denied saturation. At Easter we have seen a very complicated situation in Sóller and Formentor, we have all seen it. But have we seen a very complicated situation in a generalised way in all parts of the Balearic Islands? Nobody has seen this," he argues.

In the face of criticism from the opposition and entities such as the Fòrum de la Societat Civil, Mr Costa reiterated that "the position of the Government has not changed one iota" from the first moment. "The president has been very clear: these islands have reached a limit, saturation phenomena are a reality and therefore they are acting according to this reality."

He insisted that president Prohens has never defended the idea of degrowth but that of containment. "I reiterate that the Government's position in relation to tourism has not changed." Mallorca is one of the leading Spanish holiday islands which has this year seen repeated protests over tourist saturation and its impact on local people and the environment, including roads, beaches, beauty spots and housing prices.

On May 1st, thousands of people are expected to take to the streets again to show their opposition to the Balearic government's policies on housing and mass tourism. General secretary of UGT Illes Balears, Pedro Homar told Bulletin de Mallorca: "We celebrate the rights we have won and we want to continue moving towards a fairer society with better wages and working conditions, more work-life balance and a fair distribution of wealth but we are very alert to the threats looming over the working class, with tariffs and the crazy deregulation of housing, among others."

The recently re-elected general secretary of CCOO Illes Balears, José Luís García, confirmed that access to decent housing will be one of the main demands on May 1st. "Its a serious problem caused by a totally exhausted growth model that shows that more tourists does not mean greater well-being for the majority of the population. We urgently need to change the model and provide security for workers."

And the general secretary of the STEI union, Miquel Gelabert added: "The right to decent and affordable housing is one of the main demands. The price of housing is impoverishing working people and the middle classes on these islands and is now the main factor of exclusion, ahead of employment."

All three agree that there are plenty of reasons to protest in the streets on May Day, which is shaping up to be the most combative in recent years.

"We cannot normalise the turmoil of economic liberalism and our response is to take to the streets and raise our banners together. This is not about giving a “like” on social media but about making ourselves seen and heard. I hope for a massive turnout on May 1st," said Mr. Homar.

The start of May could also see other protests in Mallorca. The UGT unions says that if no agreement is reached at the meeting of the hospitality industry bargaining committee on April 30th, it will call for protests. In addition, partial strikes by Balearic civil servants will begin on May 2nd.