Foreign tourists were outraged by the fact that in hotels that operate on an all-inclusive basis, they were forbidden to drink alcohol without limits. The “six drinks a day” rule was introduced by the authorities of popular Mallorca and other Balearic Islands in Spain to combat alcohol abuse and anti-social behavior.
According to the Express newspaper, tourists are furious because of the new restriction, because during the “package holiday” they have to spend extra money. Thus, according to the publication, the 42-year-old traveler, who was vacationing at a Spanish resort, is now “angry and upset”, because for a three-day trip on an all-inclusive basis, he had to pay 10,500 hryvnias. Although he had previously suggested that unlimited leave would allow him to eat and drink as much as he wanted.
“We only found out about it when we registered, and only because we thought that all our food and drinks were covered by the tour fee. We were very upset and outraged. We came with a family of eight to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my cousin, and although we all had a good time, we incurred additional costs as a result,” he said.
Here is a comment left by a representative of the hotel where the foreign tourist stayed: “According to the tourist, vacationers who are going to visit similar Spanish resorts, should now carefully read the text in small print in the proposals” all inclusive ” alcohol rule “. We are sorry to hear that the client was disappointed with his stay at Aluasun Torrenova. Unfortunately, in this case, he did not get in touch to raise this issue. Thus, we were not able to ask the client a question. A decree issued by the government of the Balearic Islands limits alcoholic beverages to a maximum of six per person per day for all-inclusive meals. With this in mind, we describe in detail the drinks available to the customer on the hotel information page under the heading “All inclusive”. In this case, the hotel details indicate the choice of Spanish and international soft drinks. Three alcoholic beverages per person (beer and wine) during lunch and dinner. We always encourage customers to read the information about the hotel to make sure they are satisfied with the purchase.
The new rules were first introduced in January 2020, but it seems that foreign vacationers are only now beginning to realize the changes when the islands arrive for spring break. There are also bans on promotions and offers: “happy hours”, vending machines, free bars, pubs, drinks “two on one” and advertising boats for parties. Shops are also not allowed to sell alcohol from 21:30 to 8:00 am.
Balearic Tourism Minister Iago Negueela said earlier that foreign tourism was very important to them, but drunken tourists outraged locals and caused harm.
“We want to end bad behavior. We will increase the presence of the police in these areas and the number of inspectors – we will have zero tolerance for tourist excesses,” the official said.
Currently, there are no such rules for the resorts of mainland Spain. For example, tour operator Thomas Cook warned his customers about the rules of package holidays. “Please note that the Government of the Balearic Islands has issued a decree on a new all-inclusive food restriction. No more than six alcoholic beverages per person can be served per day, and these drinks will only be served at lunch and dinner (three each). Please note that Magalluf, El Arenal, Playa de Palma in Mallorca and San Antonio in Ibiza have new all-inclusive restrictions.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Here are tips on how to achieve a toned and flat stomach by summer.”