September 3, 2024, 6:41 am | Read time: 3 minutes
It’s high season on Mallorca – as can be seen in many places. The already popular weekly market in Artà is also very popular with tourists at the moment. And increasingly to the dismay of local residents.
Sa Coma, Cala Millor, or Cala Ratjada: The northeast of Mallorca has a myriad of vacation resorts. They rank among the island’s tourist hotspots. In addition to the picturesque bays and pretty fishing villages, there is also a real gem further inland that has always attracted holidaymakers.
Overview
Artà is known for its craftsmanship
We are talking about the medieval town of Artà. It is known for its winding alleyways, which are home to numerous artists’ and craft stores. Whether paintings, textiles, baskets or pottery – if you are on the hunt for souvenirs, you will definitely find what you are looking for in Artà. This is even more true than usual every Tuesday morning. This is when Artà’s weekly market takes place, where even more authentic, local products can be purchased,
For this reason, the market in Artà has been hailed as the most picturesque in the north of Mallorca for quite some time. And word has gotten around – much to the dismay of local residents.
Thousands of visitors to the weekly market in Artà
As “Mallorca Magazin” reports, thousands of tourists now flood the “Mercat” of Artà every week. While this pleases the traders, the situation is getting worse for the residents of Artà. On Tuesdays, they are now forced to do their own shopping in the early hours of the morning. Later in the day, navigating through the throngs of tourists becomes an insurmountable challenge.
According to “Mallorca Magazin”, town councillor Maria Antònia Sureda explains the increasing hype surrounding the Artà market, mainly through numerous posts from enthusiastic visitors on social media. Hotels in the area also regularly recommend the market in Artà to their guests.
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Overtourism problems in Mallorca
Yet, Artà isn’t the only place grappling with the surge in tourist popularity: as in many other European destinations, the issue of overtourism is now present in many places in Mallorca. For example, the popular bathing bay Caló de Moro is literally being blocked by Instagram tourists (TRAVELBOOK reported). Mallorca Magazine also reports on increasing overcrowding in Sóller, on the popular Es Trenc beach, and at Cap Formentor.