Officials in the Majorcan capital of Palma are proposing drastic measures to curb the island's ongoing overtourism crisis. The archipelago's left-wing MES per Palma party will put forward plans to limit the number of tourist arrivals in Palma's ports to two a day with a maximum 6,000 onboard - roughly half of its current intake. The party, generally considered progressive and environmental in its policies, said the measures would reinstate a balance between the interests of holidaymakers and locals.

A spokesperson said the change would "free the people of Palma from half of the cruise ships that saturate the streets", as per the Majorcan Daily Bulletin. MES per Palma councillor Miquel Angel Contreras added that the city's residents take it for granted that "they have to avoid driving through the streets of their own neighbourhood ... on cruise days".

Mr Contreras also pointed out that over 60,000 cruise ship passengers flooded Palma over the May bank holiday weekend - a figure that is "three times the population" of the city centre and "twice that of Pere Garau, [its] most populated neighbourhood".

While the Balearic Islands' overtourism crisis has involved a rise in holiday lets, a struggling housing market and a lack of jobs for locals, the influx of visitors arriving by boat is among the areas projected to continue worsening in the years and months to come.

The Balearic Port Authority has estimated than 551 cruise ships and around 1.8 million passengers will arrive in Palma in 2025 as a whole - a rise of 47 ships and 41,085 people from last year.

2024 was itself a record-breaking year for Majorca's tourist trade, with over 33 million holidaymakers arriving at Palma de Mallorca Airport, a 7% increase from 2023.

The Balearic Government implemented a cap on the number of cruise ship arrivals in Palma in 2022, allowing just three a day, with a limit of 5,000 passengers on board.

Following a summer packed with anti-tourism protests, with further demonstrations scheduled this year, authorities are trying to tread a delicate balance between allaying the concerns of residents and not scaring away visitors, who make up nearly half of Majorca's GDP.

In October, eight businesses on the island called on the government to scrap the cruise restrictions following an 18% drop in spending. "Don't demonise cruise passengers," they urged. "It is family tourism with a high spending power."

The Balearics have not been alone in tackling rising footfall by imposing restrictions on cruise arrivals. Popular port cities such as Venice, Barcelona, and Marseille have also implemented similar measures.