Britons who misbehave could be banned from the Balearic Islands under tough new proposals

Misbehaving British tourists are banned from entering the Balearic Islands under controversial new proposals being considered by regional government leaders.

The island’s tourism chief, Jaume Bauza, appeared to confirm that holidaymakers who break strict rules aimed at cracking down on anti-social visitors could be blacklisted.

At the beginning of 2020, an alcohol tourism decree was agreed for certain areas such as Magaluf in Mallorca and the West End of San Antonio in neighboring Ibiza.

It introduced fines of up to £50,000 for holidaymakers caught from their hotel balconies and a limit on the amount of alcohol served with meals in all-inclusive hotels.

The new right-wing regional government of the Balearic Islands has already announced its intention to change the name of the decree against excessive tourism to the decree “responsible tourism” to avoid negative connotations.

Holidaymakers who break the rules can already be thrown out of their hotels, including holidaymakers who jump between balconies, a dangerous practice known locally as “balcony”.

There are also plans to eliminate the current situation where only some roads in certain resort towns, including Magaluf and San Antonio, are covered by the rules, meaning that action could potentially be taken against offenders on all four Balearic islands.

But in a major announcement yesterday, Mr Bauza also appeared to admit that as part of a package of tougher measures being prepared against anti-social visitors, there is a proposal to put some of them on planes home and then too late to visit at certain times. before the day Prohibited return period will be taken into account.

Holidaymakers who break the rules can already be thrown out of their hotels, including holidaymakers who jump between balconies, a dangerous practice known locally as “balcony”.

After a meeting yesterday of the Commission for the Promotion of Citizenship in Tourist Areas with representatives of the four municipalities affected by the current regulation on excessive tourism, the island’s tourism chief confirmed that the idea of ​​a blacklist is being investigated.

Asked by the local press whether the government’s tougher crackdown on anti-social tourists included the possibility of expulsion from the islands and a ban on returning for a certain period, Bauza said it depended on the “crime that was committed”. . ‘

Respected island newspaper Diario de Ibiza quoted him as saying: “I have outlined the main points and at this stage nothing has been ruled out or confirmed.”

“Then a legal framework is needed.”

“The most important thing is that we also focus on the companies, but above all on the people who behave here and everywhere in ways that are intolerable.”

The party resorts of Magaluf (pictured above) and part of Playa de Palma east of the island’s capital, which are also among the areas covered by the decree against excessive tourism, have been rocked this summer by several alleged sexual assaults involving foreign tourists were involved, including gang rape.

The party towns of Magaluf and part of Playa de Palma east of the island’s capital, which are also among the areas covered by the decree against excessive tourism, have been rocked this summer by several alleged sexual assaults against foreign tourists, including gang rapes.

A British 18-year-old was allegedly raped in the early hours of August 14 in a hotel in Magaluf.

Five French citizens and one Swiss citizen were arrested and detained pending an ongoing judicial investigation. Two more suspects were subsequently arrested in France on the basis of European arrest warrants.

The incidents put the spotlight on resorts such as Britain’s popular Magaluf, which has tried to improve its international image in recent years.

Prostitutes and some pickpockets have been given court orders banning them from entering Magaluf. Therefore, measures to declare certain people as “personas non grata” are nothing new in the area.

Any attempt by the Balearic government to blacklist anti-social tourists would be in breach of EU freedom of movement law, as the holidaymakers would come from EU member states.

Although the right-wing Popular Party won the May elections in the Balearic Islands, Spain’s left-wing interim Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez currently has the best chance of forming a national coalition government that excludes the right.

In August, it emerged that four of the five tourists handed five-figure fines for climbing between balconies at hotels in Magaluf this summer were British.

The ground-breaking crackdown on over-tourism has put an end to bar crawls, happy hours and 2×1 cheap drinks deals in areas such as Magaluf and San Antonio’s West End

The municipality of Calvia, which is responsible for the party resort, announced on August 21 that five foreign holidaymakers had been fined for “using the balcony”.

The five were each fined €36,000 (£30,720) and evicted from their hotels.

The fines were imposed in terms of a regional government decree issued just over three years ago to stamp out drunken tourism.

Earlier in the same month, a company offering British holidaymakers illegal alcohol cruises in Magaluf was fined nearly £140,000 under the same decree.

Councilors in charge of the Mallorca party resort said company bosses were caught red-handed when they escorted around 130 tourists, who paid nearly £40 each, onto a boat where loud music was played and alcohol was offered.

The groundbreaking crackdown on overtourism has put an end to bar crawls, happy hours and cheap 2-for-1 drink deals in areas like Magaluf and San Antonio’s West End.

In addition, the issuing of new permits for “party boats” has been suspended, meaning that boats that are already licensed are no longer allowed to board or disembark tourists in the affected areas.

The new mayor of Calvia, Juan Antonio Amengual, said earlier this month, after it was announced that the “exclusion” of certain areas complained about by critics of the regional government’s decree would be stopped: “What strikes you at the moment is that that is the case.” On the one hand there are strict rules from the street and on the other hand there are not.

“We want everything to stay the same.”