Presentation short abstract

Quality tourism in the Balearic Islands frames degrowth as fewer, higher-spending visitors, reinforcing exclusion. Analysis of Excess Tourism Zones shows that upgrading cannot spur just tourism degrowth and calls to study classed narratives that sustains low-spending tourism with uncivil behaviour.

Presentation long abstract

The promotion of quality tourism in touristified spaces such as the Balearic Islands functions as a discourse that frames degrowth as a reduction in visitor numbers achieved by attracting tourists that spend more. Rather than a transformative project this approach represents a mechanism to reduce tourism through socioeconomic exclusion. Consequently, it diverges from theorists which ground degrowth in socioenvironmental justice. Moreover, the strategy has proven ineffective as tourist arrivals has increased despite years of quality-tourism promotion. Sustained public and private investment in tourism infrastructures is accompanied by regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate their upgrading.

This contribution analyses the Decree-Law 1/2020 which designates three “Excess Tourism Zones” in the Balearic Islands. These Zones are associated with “booze tourism,” where public discourse relates uncivil behaviour to low-income tourists, positioning them as incompatible with the quality-tourism agenda focused on attracting affluent visitors. Cadastral data were analysed to map the tourist urban landscape, complemented by participant observation with in-situ mapping.

The analysis reveals that upgrading in these Zones is concentrated in accommodation categories and waterfronts. Despite such interventions, no substantial change in the tourist offer or dominant practices could be observed. A final reflection is vital, as focussing on areas labelled “booze tourism” carries its own complexities. Measures, such as the Decree-Law 1/2020, against objectification, hypersexualisation, balconing or excessive drinking are crucial, yet the association of such practices with low-spending tourism remains problematic. This highlights the need to examine “uncivil behaviour” of high-spending tourism to go beyond the classed narratives that sustains such associations.