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Date Published: 27/04/2023
ARCHIVED - Spain prepares to crack down on boozy holidaymakers this summer
UK tourists warned that they could face fines of up to 3,000 euros for antisocial behaviour in Mallorca
The Balearic Islands made headlines last summer when the authorities introduced a series of strict measures aimed at reducing “drunken tourism” which included limiting the amount of booze at all-inclusive resorts and doling out huge fines for all kinds of antisocial behaviour. In Palma de Mallorca, the campaign has been kicked up a notch this year and the additional security measures will come into force on Monday May 1 and run until October 15.
A hoard of police officers, including around 30 new trainee recruits, will flood the Mallorca streets day and night to clamp down on issues like illegal massages, street vending, street drinking, pub crawls and noise pollution.
According to the authorities, anyone who ignores the rules will face fines of between 100 and 3,000 euros.
Special attention will be paid to holidaymakers frequenting beachfront resorts this summer, where illegal street parties (botellón) are common, as well as Paseo Marítimo and along the Playa de Palma.
Consuming alcohol in public in any unauthorised spot is prohibited throughout Spain, and is considered a weighty offence.
Officers will also patrol the streets late into the evening to ensure that drinking and partying in beer gardens doesn’t get out of hand, and to ensure there is no trouble when the bars and nightclubs close.
This year, shopkeepers have been warned that they face fines of up to 600,000 euros if caught selling too much booze.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the city’s deputy mayor Janet Sanz is trying to drastically reduce the number of tourists who arrive on cruises for the day, describing these day trippers rather harshly as a “plague of locusts.”
She said: “You will be walking and all of a sudden there’s this mass of people who appear together in the street.
“They don’t consume anything and they don’t have an economic impact.
“They just wander for four or five hours and leave.”
Image: Ayuntamiento de Palma de Mallorca
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