The famous resort loses the battle for the “quality tourist” to alcoholics and brawlers with a crushing score. “Alcoholics, brawlers, and drug addicts” flooded the streets of Mallorca’s resorts. The anomalous influx of drunk tourists — and now even higher than in the “pre-war” times, and even high prices do not deter them. Professional tourism associations in Spain say that the situation is threatening.
“This year the situation seems worse than ever before, long before the start of the main season on July 1,” – writes the Spanish press. Professional organizations also raised alarm: the AHPP Hotel Association, the CAEB Gastro Association, and the ABONE Night Club Association jointly condemned the situation, calling it “unsustainable” and “disturbing”. They are calling for tougher penalties, a greater police presence, and more government oversight.
Residents also complain: the association of residents of the S’Arenal area, which includes the Ballermann resort “attacked” by drunken tourists, also complained about the increasingly bad behavior of many foreign tourists these days.
In general, as the locals assure, the season has not yet started, and the islands are already “bursting at the seams.” Already in April, the Balearic Islands received almost 1.5 million visitors from abroad and mainland Spain, surpassing the previous record of 1.3 million for the month before Christmas. At the same time, almost 40% are Germans, who riot no less than the English.
“All strict laws and fines don’t work!” – residents are outraged. Officially, Playa de Palma is one of the zones in which special rules of conduct apply in the summer in Mallorca. Including their task to limit the consumption of alcohol by tourists by regulating sales and banning advertising. But, it seems, no special results are expected. “It is to be expected that this year we will face the same problems as this season,” says José Antonio Fernández de Alarcon, president of the Playa de Palma Hotel Association.
At the same time, on the one hand, experts recognize the fact that vacationers who came to parties bring a lot of money to the island’s coffers. On the other hand, the “alcoholic customer” is a very “selective” buyer. “In Ballerman, there are no jewelry or shoe stores on the tourist streets. And even a perfumery is currently selling beer in cans,” local entrepreneurs say. Restaurateurs are also not seen by visitors – the “disco” alcoholic tourist has a snack on the way to a kiosk with kebabs or hot dogs.
In this, it seems that the attempt to fight alcohol tourists with price-raising methods is also doomed to failure. Yes, rest has become “hell expensive”, admit ordinary tourists – less than 200 euros per night is no longer possible in a 4-5 star hotel with half board. But “alcoholics and brawlers”, unlike “civilian” tourists, will always find a way out. More and more tourists from Germany and the Netherlands spend the night on the beach, complains Alain Carbonell, vice-president of the association of residents of S’Arenal. “18-20-year-olds come with the sole purpose of getting drunk. We are afraid of the previous summer,” he adds.