Ibiza and Majorca ‘overcrowded’ as Brits flock to ‘safe’ Spain amid holiday terror fears
Holidaymakers are shunning once-popular resorts in Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey after terror attacks targeting tourists
A CRUSH warning has been issued in Ibiza and Majorca as Brits flock to "safe" Spain for holidays amid terror fears in other once-popular resorts.
Brits are shunning former holiday hotspots in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey in favour of a "safer" option closer to home.
But the influx of holidaymakers could cause overcrowding in popular holiday locations, leading to a dangerous "crush".
Environmentalists have warned hotels, beaches, roads, water and sewer systems may not be able to cope with the millions of holidaymakers flocking to Spanish resorts this summer.
Gerard Hau, a spokesman for Grup Balear d'Ornitologia Defensa de la Naturalesa (GOB), a group for environmentalists in the Balearic Islands, told the Observer: "This will be a crazy year.
"The infrastructure will not cope. Mallorca is booked out. We will have serious problems this summer."
British holiday companies have cancelled flights to a number of areas in north Africa and Turkey, including once popular Sharm El Sheikh, where terrorists have targeted tourists.
Instead they have offered more holidays to Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Balearic Islands - many of which have already sold out, or have extremely high prices.
Cruise ships are also set to stop in these locations more frequently, with 524 vessels expected in Palma, Majorca this year.
Ibiza is predicting a 24 per cent increase in cruise ships stopping there on last year.
Hau added: "People come here to enjoy life, but they are stressed because they can't get a seat on the buses – there aren't enough buses.
"Already we have 60,000 rental cars on this island. We are second only to Hong Kong in our car density. The traffic is gridlocked, so people are stressed. There are no parking places."
Hau warned tourists could become "stressed" if sewage problems prevent them from going in the sea, which happened last year.
He said: "They are stressed because there is no room on beaches, they are stressed and they won't come back. Tourism is a vital thing, mass tourism is a tricky, tricky thing. This year will be a crisis year."
Measures are already being put in place across Spain to cap the number of tourists in places.
La Boqueria market has been allowed to ban big groups of tourists at set times, sparking debate in the country.
Authorities are also working hard to clamp down on public drinking and drunken behaviour.
However, Hau believes drinking resorts such as Magaluf and Playa de Palma are preferable to tourists who "tramp over everything in their search for the untouched bit".
He added "residential tourists who buy up a property, buy a car, usually two, swimming pools and want gardens" are problematic.