A mass tourism advocate, Jaume Garau, has criticized the Balearic government’s social and political sustainability pact aimed at combating the negative consequences of overtourism.

A former member of the Balearic Parliament, vice-president of the Palma XXI citizens’ association and executive member of the Forum for Civil Society, Garau described the pact as “really heavy” and “very unproductive”.

“It is very difficult to reach consensus, which was theoretically intended,” he said. “There is very little debate. We all say the same things we used to say all the time. There is no creativity.

He argued that residents have become “second or third class people” as the government prioritizes hoteliers and tour operators. He also said that the committee of experts supposed to oversee the agreement “either does not exist or is being kept secret”, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

Every year, more than 2.3 million British tourists enjoy their holidays in Mallorca, representing around 26 percent of total tourist traffic.

The Civil Society Forum includes associations like Palma XXI as well as environmentalists, unions and businesses. In the spring, the forum presented its vision for the future of tourism in Mallorca, which coincided with the government’s announcement of the pact.

This came at a time when the scenes of traffic congestion appeared to mark a real change of attitude on the part of the Partido Popular (PP), the governing party and the Council of Mallorca. For the first time, the PP began to acknowledge the potential need to limit tourism.

“(The pact is) supposed to be overseen by a committee of experts. Either it doesn’t exist or it’s being kept secret. Emails are sent but we don’t know what people are saying or what proposals are being made to be able to discuss it,” Garau argued.

“We proposed that this committee should be composed of qualified people from the private, public and civil society sectors who could present new ideas. But this was not done. The debate is not well focused and we told the government this months ago.

He added that hoteliers have never spoken directly with citizens or their representatives, but through their own discussions with the Federation of Hoteliers of Mallorca, Riu Hotels and TUI, they have noticed an interest on their part so that the company civil society participates in the debate on the tourism model.

Hoteliers see the forum as a valid “interlocutor” in the debate, but Garau insisted that the government does not place the forum on the same level as hoteliers or tour operators.

“There has really only been dialogue between hoteliers and political parties, not with civil society. But tourism has changed so much in the last ten years. There are the big cruise ships which have caused a disaster in the Bay of Palma; and illegal vacation rentals have increased, causing great harm to everyone.

“And there has also been an impossible growth in tourism in general. However, hoteliers have changed their perception. They know that they cannot manage tourism that goes against the inhabitants. There is European awareness of this problem. Everywhere we go, we talk about this conflict between tourism and locals.”

Garau said several phenomena have come together, including enormous youth discontent reflected in the 15-M movement, Airbnb and the rapid growth of cruise ships.

“All of this has combined to create a very critical public awareness of tourism. Everything is linked to a kind of neo-tourism which is part of a wild international trade controlled by large companies and in which residents become second or third class people.

Garau acknowledges that vacation rentals cannot be singled out as the sole culprit. However, he highlighted the huge increase in the number of holiday rental places (beds) in Majorca over the last decade, from 10,000 to 100,000. “The illegal supply must be removed, just like the dilapidated hotels, which must be transformed into social housing for rent.”

He also said he was not against luxury tourism: “But we shouldn’t fantasize about its possibilities either. There aren’t many people who pay 500 or 1,000 euros a night… If they come, that’s good, but it’s not a strategic target.

“The target is a responsible tourist who respects the environment and knows not to waste water or electricity. An environmentalist tourist is the least we can ask for today.”

Express.co.uk has contacted the Balearic Government for comment.