The Balearic government wants to take stricter action against drinking tourism: in the future, consumption on the beach and on the street will be banned in tourist strongholds. Anyone who doesn’t comply will face high fines.
At the Ballermann in Mallorca you will not be allowed to drink alcohol on the street or on the beach. The regional government of the Balearic Islands announced the ban in Palma. It applies not only to Playa de Palma, but also to other party zones on Mallorca and Ibiza, where so-called drinking tourism has recently become increasingly worse despite various measures.
According to the authorities, the tightening of the rules will come into force on the two Mediterranean islands that belong to Spain in the next few days when it is published in the official journal. However, there is no exact date for this. Holidaymakers and locals who are caught with an open beer can on the beach or on public property, for example, face a fine of between 500 and 1,500 euros.
Double-digit million budget for surveillance
The “Decree for Responsible Tourism” is initially valid until the end of 2027 and affects parts of the municipalities of Palma and Llucmajor with the German holiday stronghold Playa de Palma east of the island capital and the British party zone Magaluf west of Palma. It also applies to Sant Antoni de Portmany on Ibiza. Each of these four zones should receive four million euros annually from the tourism tax for implementation. The decree is initially valid until the end of 2027.
The Mallorcan hotel association FEHM defended the authorities’ tougher crackdown: “We welcome that improvements have been made to achieve the desired goal: the eradication of uncivilized tourism in the four areas that suffer from its effects,” it said.
Several exceptions
Terraces of bars and restaurants as well as other places expressly permitted for the consumption of alcohol are exempt from the ban. Alcohol can still be served on the numerous party boats. However, from now on they must maintain a nautical mile distance from the four affected zones and beaches. In addition, they are no longer allowed to pick up or drop off guests in these zones.
To combat excessive drinking, the regional government in Palma last put together a legislative package in 2020, which was then somewhat lost due to the corona pandemic. Parts of the law are now being changed by means of a decree. Previously, only drinking parties, i.e. drinking alcohol in a group, were prohibited on the street.