The travel "nightmare" of the people of Spain's "paradise island"

A young man holds a sign that reads "Stop Cruise Operations" during a protest on July 21.

According to information from the Menys Turisme organization, "Mas Vida" (less tourism, more life) - a protest calling for a limit on the number of tourists - attracted the participation of about 50,000 people.

However, local police estimated the number at around 12,000, RTVE reported. Protesters carried banners reading: "Tourists, we love you when you don't buy our land" and "Your paradise is our nightmare" - as they marched through the city of Palma de Mallorca on the island's south coast.

According to CNN,Protest groups claim that the current tourism model on Mallorca "impoverishes workers and enriches only a few". They are demanding an alternative tourism model with benefits such as access to decent housing, improved public services, and the conservation and restoration of natural areas.

Tourists sunbathe at El Arenal beach in Palma de Mallorca, Spain

According to RTVE - Spain's public broadcaster, this protest involved the participation of about 110 groups and social movements. The event took place amid rising tensions over the impact of tourism on local areas in Spain.

The Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca – the largest island – along with Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, attracted 14.4 million foreign visitors last year, according to Spain's National Statistics Institute. However, the surge in tourism has caused problems for local residents.

Earlier this month, anti-mass tourism protesters in Barcelona sprayed tourists with water and marched through the city, chanting: "Tourists go home."

Locals took to the streets in protest with banners reading "Change the direction"

Earlier in April, locals in Spain's Canary Islands called for a hunger strike to protest overtourism, which protesters say is driving up house prices and harming the environment.

The Balearic Islands have also introduced new regulations banning street drinking in major tourist areas on the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca from May, with the exception of licensed areas and terraces.

The protests are a clear demonstration of local frustration with the pressures of mass tourism, and calls for a more sustainable solution for the island's future.