By Hannah Ahmed
UK tourists in Majorca have been warned to ‘be careful’, as tensions between locals and holidaymakers heighten. Travellers who visited the island in the middle of June were greeted by union, Menys Turisme, M茅s Vida, marching through the streets in protest over mass tourism. Some were seen carrying signs reading phrases which included “we want our island back,” while others said “tourists go home!” Yasim Pekel, a travel expert at Blue Cruise, explained how the demonstrations aren’t about “hating visitors,” but are said to be more so about “protecting their space and way of life.” He said: “Tensions like this are becoming more common in overcrowded hotspots, and Mallorca is just the latest example. “It鈥檚 not about hating visitors, it鈥檚 about protecting their space and way of life. READ MORE: Expert warns over ‘travel insurance exclusion’ as strikes begin in holiday hotspot “Tourists can still have an amazing trip, but it helps to be a little more aware, a little less loud, and a lot more respectful.” The specialist came up with a list of six rules for visiting the island: However, Majorca is not the only location which has faced tourism protests, as hotspots of Spain including Barcelona, Lisbon and the Canary Islands have also been the host of numerous demonstrations. Areas of France, Greece, and Portugal have also introduced more regulations for tourists, which include noise restrictions, cruise ship bans and rental caps, the Mirror reported. READ MORE: Ryanair cancels 170 flights as UK tourists warned over holiday chaos The problems raised by locals have not been solved, but for holidaymakers looking to be part of the solution there are three steps you can follow: One expat who lives in Benidorm, Frank, addressed accusations that locals did not want tourists in the Balearic Islands, claiming this was “simply not true.” He explained: “The Spanish people love you, they want you, they need you – and it’s not just about the money. “It’s just the way these resorts are built. They’re built for tourism, they don’t work without tourism.” Frank continued: “Look, here’s the thing, it’s not that the Spanish don’t want you, the Spanish have protested in certain places against tourism. But they do that to make noise. It’s not that the Spanish people don’t want you. The Spanish people do love you. “The people out there protesting also do want you – but at the same time they want somewhere to live. “And the only way that they can actually be heard is to try and hit the area of the government, I guess, that’s going to make somebody listen to them – which is tourism.”