Walter Finch
TOUR guides in Palma are up in arms over proposed new rules to crack down on group sizes that they say are not only illegal but ‘treat us like criminals.’
Proguies Turístics de Baleares says the Palma City Council’s plan to limit guided tours to 20 people per group flies in the face of Balearic Islands’ regulations, which allow groups of up to 70.
“The current average group size is between 30 and 50 people,” said president Gabriel Rosales.
“It’s baffling that the council didn’t consider the existing regulations before moving forward with this.”
Rosales argues that this change will cripple the tourism sector and related businesses.
“With groups of just 19, it will be impossible to sell tours, as they’ll be financially unsustainable,” he explained.
He also pointed out that popular attractions like the Cathedral of Mallorca and the Castell de Bellver could see a drop in revenue.
The association is also protesting the requirement that guides visibly display identification with their full name and ID number.
“This violates our privacy rights and clashes with data protection laws,” Rosales asserted.
“Why should we have to reveal all this information when a police officer only needs to show a badge number? It’s like we’re being treated like criminals.”
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Proguies Turístics is also concerned about the idea of local police monitoring the exact number of tourists in a group.
“What happens when people join the group on the fly? Are we going to tag them like animals? Or hand out batons to keep out the ‘unauthorised’ tourists?” Rosales questioned.
The proposed ordinance is currently in a public comment period before it goes to the full council for a final vote.
