In the latest bid to gauge the number of holidaymakers descending on its beaches, the Balearic Government has announced it will start monitoring occupancy levels in realtime. Over the next three years, authorities will roll out sensors on 150 beaches across Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca in a project set to cost €4 million (£3.5 million). 

“We want the land to tell us what it’s doing, to give us data,” said Miquel Cardona, director of the regional government’s IB Digital agency, which is leading the charge. This announcement follows pilot tests conducted at three beaches over the summer, including Es Trenc, a popular white-sand beach on the southern coast of Majorca. Each year, tens of millions of tourists descend on the popular Spanish archipelago, with 18.7 million in 2024 and projections of over 19 million by the end of this year. Boasting long family-friendly sandy stretches to secluded coves with turquoise waters, it’s not hard to see why the islands’ beaches are a major draw.

“A sensor collects data, but it needs to be able to transmit it,” Mr Cardona added. “In cities it’s easy, but in natural environments it’s not the same.”

According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, three types of sensors are being considered, which will begin monitoring beach access points, among other actions, and with work now underway to design the optimal installation for each of the 150 beaches.

The information gathered will then enable the generation of a real-time approximation of how busy the beaches are, which will be cross-referenced with mobile phone data. 

This information will be made publicly available through a website and an app, allowing residents and tourists to check beach occupancy levels and decide which sandy stretch to visit. The Balearic Government hopes this will help regulate visitor flow and prevent overcrowding.

Majorca’s beaches have often been the focus of the overtourism crisis that has gripped Spain and other areas of Europe in recent years. The Mallorca Platja Tour movement has made it its mission to reclaim the island’s beaches for its residents, who they claim are unable to enjoy their own coast due to high numbers of holidaymakers. 

“What was once a place of peace is becoming a theme park,” they said, after vowing renewed action earlier this year They staged three occupations last year, at Sa Rapita beach, Playa de Palma and Caló des Moro in Santanyí, which gathered around 300 people and was brought to an end by the Guardia Civil.