Isha Sesay
THE Balearic Government has ordered the closure of two more party strips in Mallorca as part of their crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
The new measure, which aims to eradicate ‘drunk tourism,’ has already seen the closure of popular tourist hotspots in Magaluf and Palma.
This included Punta Ballena and Calle del Jamon in Magaluf as well as Calle de la Cerveza on the Playa de Palma.
Officials have now decided to extend this order, prohibiting access to General Garcia Ruiz and Calle de Federico Garcia Lorca, both in Magaluf.
Through this measure, all bars and shops located on these five streets with activity related to alcohol must close down immediately, much to the anger of local business owners.
So much so that collective legal action is now being mounted against the government.
This lawsuit will also be supported by the Balearic Association of Night Leisure and Entertainment (ABONE) and the Association of Merchants and Tourist Services (ACOTUR).
ABONE president Jesus Sanchez explained that affected business owners feel like ‘scapegoats’ as breaches in COVID health protocols have mainly been in beach clubs or illegal house parties.
Suggesting a better alternative would be a ‘stronger police presence,’ Sanchez said: “The streets cannot be closed because the government are incapable of controlling excesses.”
The Mayor of Calvia, Alfonso Rodriguez Badal, has however expressed his support for the government’s decision and believes it will stop contagion.
He said: “We cannot put everyone’s health and economy at risk, nor jobs.
“The Balearic Islands have excellent COVID-19 data compared to other regions in Spain, so it is therefore necessary to continue protecting the health of our residents and tourists.”
Badal went on to explain that his town hall had spent five years ‘working hard to eradicate excesses’ and making ‘a firm commitment to quality tourism.’
This in itself led to Magaluf, as well as Playa de Palma and Sant Antoni in Ibiza, being hit with a series of restrictions to clampdown on boozed-up holidaymakers earlier this year.
Defending this change in model, Badal stressed that ‘it was not a matter of stigmatising leisure, but stigmatising the so called tourism of excess.”
Meanwhile the Balearic Government has issued a warning to tourists intending to travel to Spain to consume excess alcohol.
Addressing those who drink large quantities of alcohol and fail to respect health measures in place to halt the spread of coronavirus, Tourism Minister Iago Negueruela said: “We do not deserve these types of tourists and we do not want them. Do not come.”
Also included are local Balearic businesses who promote this type of activity in order to make a profit.
