MALLORCA – Every year, countless groups of students and pupils travel to the Balearic Islands. There they celebrate the end of their school or academic year. This regularly leads to misbehaviour, fights, and vandalism caused by alcohol or drugs. For this reason, the authorities are now introducing a zero-tolerance policy.
For example, last summer in July several incidents took place in the tourist resort of El Arenal on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The 27-year-old Dutch Carlos Heuvelman ended up on the ground and was beaten so badly that he died.
These events and other less horrific incidents, such as tourists who en masse do not comply with the measures against the coronavirus, of a minority of visitors, are bad for the international image of the islands. Regional authorities and travel agencies also encountered major problems when hundreds of young people were quarantined at a hotel in Mallorca.
The message of ‘zero tolerance’
Last Thursday, aldermen for tourism of the islands, representatives of the business association for hotels (FEHM), and the trade association for travel agencies held a meeting. They discussed measures to prevent new excesses and to steer the youth trips in the right direction. In the period before the upcoming season, they will jointly promote a message of “zero tolerance” towards bad behavior.
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After the meeting, the statement read: “The aim is not to jeopardise the image of the destinations. Therefore, we will strictly apply the current regulations against this type of behaviour to those who break the law or behave in an antisocial manner. “
Preventing Anti-Social Behavior
More meetings will follow shortly. This will also include representatives of the national government, the administration of Mallorca, and representatives of various municipalities. People then talk about things like deploying security and control actions to prevent antisocial behaviour.
Zero-tolerance against excessive alcohol consumption
On January 17, the Balearic Islands government passed a law banning activities that encourage excessive alcohol consumption. With the new measure, nightlife venues in several places in the Balearic Islands can no longer advertise happy hour and the option of unlimited drinks. Night shops can no longer sell alcohol during the night. The ban applies to Magaluf and El Arenal in Mallorca and West End Sant Antoni in Ibiza.
End of alcohol abuse through unlimited drinking
In recent years, the alcohol abuse of tourists on these Spanish islands has increased. Therefore, the regional government hopes to change that with the new law. At hotels with an all-inclusive formula, tourists can order a maximum of three alcoholic drinks per meal. Violation of the newly introduced ban can result in a maximum fine of €600,000 euros. Furthermore, the establishments risk closure of their facility for a maximum of three years.
