Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ibiza residents have planned a series of public protests to address problems stemming from excessive tourism. According to Diario de Ibiza, the protests will be organized by Prou!, a campaign group formed about a month ago on Facebook.Around 200 people gathered earlier this week to announce "peaceful and silent" protests addressing "harmful or illegal tourism activities," including the privatization of the coast, noise, and illegal performance venues which turn hotels, boats and country houses into nightclubs. Many in the group are afraid the levels of tourism will "collapse" the island and turn it into a "theme park."Neus Escandell, a historian, teacher and editor who attended the gathering said, "tourism must serve to improve the quality of life, not to make it worse."The group has organized itself into several subsections to address the issues and prepare for the summer of 2017.Police and citizens in Ibiza have begun to address noise and other issues in Ibiza in 2016. Ibiza Rocks' license was temporarily suspended in September for failing to comply with San Antonio noise regulations. Earlier that month, police also seized several million Euros from clubs Pacha and Ushuaïa. And council members in the San Antonio region of the island voted and unanimously passed legislation in the late summer banning the construction of new beach clubs and outdoor hotel venues.