The sun, sex, but not Sangera? Balearics’ Booze’s campaign may only save their tourism industry Dima I answer
toAST Summer, Balear islands in Spain launched one of the most difficult campaign in Europe in alcohol -feeding partisan tourism. In the famous resorts like Magaluf in Mayorca and St. Anthony in Ibiza, tourists pour from the bars at dawn, hold cheap bottles from stores late at night, and they dealt with full neighborhoods as giant night stadiums in the open air.
The local population is tired. The complaints of noise, violent quarrels and clashes between the population and the drunk tourists have become routine. The rents rose during a long time The neighborhoods have become hollow in the seasonal parties. “Prices rise, rents rise, Everything rises … except for salaries“Hernando had to move to a convoy because there were no affordable housing.
Last summer, the Balearic authorities recently said: It is enough. The regional government, led by Marja Brodin of the People’s Party (PP), extended the law of 2020 and introduced strict alcohol controls. Drinking in public streets in the “extra tourism areas”, including Palma, Llucmajor, Calvià and Sant Antoni. Frains of up to 3000 euros have been offered for violations. Retail sales are restricted after 9:30 pm, and comprehensive hotels can serve only six drinks for each guest per day. Party boats were paid abroad. It is important, the local police forces are designed to inform the microscopic notifications to the consulates – to ensure accountability and inhibit repetition crimes.
On a large scale such new measures, it was not only a law enforcement. It was an advertisement: The islands no longer want to be a cheap stadium in Europe -free Europe. “Nineteen million tourists in a region with a population of 1.3 million are unacceptable,” Bruantat saidEmphasizing the need to “change the path” towards the growth of sustainable tourism-which confirms a hub towards attracting more friendly tourism and cultural tourism, instead of the sun, sex and surplus.
Have you succeeded? After one year, the local authorities claim that the measures have made a positive change. Studies indicate that serious incidents in destinations such as Magaluf and Sant Antoni Decline Greatly since 2018: about 90 % and 87.5 %, respectively. While it is very early to isolate the effects of the last campaign, these numbers reflect the results of continuous efforts and political changes to enhance responsible tourism. The residents welcomed the quieter summer nights: Many say this is the first summer season in years when they could sleep without hindrance due to screaming drunk.
These changes follow some of the biggest protests against turmoil in Spain’s history. In July 2024, it is estimated 10,000 people walked in Palma Only, work on lack of housing and the quality of life requires.
While the initial signs are positive, the shift is far from its completion. The enforcement of the new rules was incomplete. While large resorts like Magaluf and Sant Antoni witnessed the heavy police, they were not the quieter cities and historical centers like Sóller and Alcúdia, and continued to host hostile behavior of society and public drinking. Tourists were often confused about exactly what was blocked and where.
Meanwhile, local night life companies – especially small bars and shops – argue that the campaign hurts me unfairly. They warn that cheap drinking cuts of large size reduces fall and threatens jobs. Some partisan tourism will be paid for fear of illegal rents or unorganized places that make the police difficult. Hotel groups, although they are widely supported by politics goals, called for communication clearer for visitors by improving signs and teaching visitors. “The guests are often unaware of the rules before their arrival,” said Gabriel Lulubira, the deputy chief of business federations in Mayka. They want a fixed and fair enforcement so that the responsible companies do not lose those who ignore the rules.
What is happening in Balearics is not just a local story. From Amsterdam to Venice to Barcelona, European destinations are wrestling with the consequences of turmoil. How do you maintain local communities, culture and the ability to afford costs while maintaining the economic lifeline brought by tourism?
The Balearics campaign is one of the clearest attempts that say: Some types of tourism are simply no longer welcome. But making this sustainable means not only punishing bad behavior but providing better alternatives. The authorities will need to continue investing in clear multi -language information campaigns so that visitors know the rules before they land. They will need small companies to shift towards high -quality offers so that they do not leave them. They will need a fixed application through municipalities to simply prevent the problem.
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Ultimately, the goal is not to kill the tourism industry but rather to save it from itself. The economy of visitors that alienates the local population lives in the borrowed time. Balearic islands experience shows that change is possible – but it also indicates that it is a hard work that does not stop with the passage of the law. With the end of another summer season, the real test is whether the carrots can convert these gains in the first year into permanent, fair and sustainable tourism.
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Dr. Dima I answer a great lecturer in architecture, urban design, regional planning and tourism at Westminster University