hotspots across Europe have been launching schemes to control visitor numbers and preserve the beauty of these popular destinations. Plans have included making tourists , as well as .

Now, the Spanish island of is considering limiting the entry of non-registered vehicles to the island, as well as forcing a tax on them, Spanish title reports. Nearby Formentera adopted these policies in 2019, while Ibiza will implement them from this summer. It comes as traffic chaos has engulfed the Balearic capital, with thousands of cars crowding the entrances and exits to Majorca every day. Congestion begins early in the day, continuing into the morning as ferries dock, bringing tourists and their vehicles from the mainland. According to the latest available figures, from the Consell de Mallorca in October 2024, there were 122,000 excess cars on the island.

Some residents of towns including Sóller, Manacor and spots in the northern Tramuntana mountains have even begun leaving home an hour earlier than usual in order to get to work in the city of Palma because of the build ups.

Majorca has moved slower than its neighbours to address the congestion issue, with Formentera becoming the first to introduce policies to combat crowded roads in 2019.

Since then, non-resident vehicles have been limited in number and those who are allowed in must pay a fee for the privilege.

Miquel Camps, a spokesperson for the environmental platform Gob Menorca, said: "The amount is the same whether you stay four or seven days on the island. And a conclusion was reached: tourists chose to stay longer and spread out their activities more, which eased road congestion.

He added: "In Menorca, over-occupation reaches 30%. We are worse off than Formentera when it regulated it, yet nothing is being done here."

At the end of last year, Ibiza's Consell took similar steps to Formentera and will limit vehicular access to its shores for the first time this summer.

From June to September, 20,000 cars will be allowed onto the island, in addition to those already resident there.

In Majorca, 324,623 cars entered the island in 2023, a huge increase of 108% on 2017.

Although the Consell de Mallorca is considering similar measures to its neighbours, no decisions have yet been made.

Spain has struggled with overtourism in recent years, with large scale protests erupting in April which saw demonstrators telling tourists to "stay away" and avoid worsening a critical housing crisis.

In March, a letter signed by seven protest groups urged tourists not to come to the island. In the letter, they stated: "The greed and avarice of hoteliers, politicians, real estate investors, and all kinds of 'parasites' have brought us to an emergency situation"

In a further address to tourists, they added: "Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you. The local population is angry, and we are no longer hospitable because the land we love is being destroyed, and many residents are having to emigrate."

A report by property portal pisos.com in February suggested that the average cost of renting across Spain has risen by over 20% in the last five years.