Booze rulings

In the case of Magalluf, an all-inclusive holiday now only includes six alcoholic drinks at mealtimes but down the road in Palmanova hotels can still offer unlimited booze. So really it could be argued that hotels in Magalluf are being discriminated against but the local authorities will say that the majority of all incidents take place in Magalluf and the rest of the resorts are largely trouble free.

The business community in Magalluf will say that the new legislation could mean that tourists will just go elsewhere. It probably would have been better if the booze-ban had been made across all hotels all over the Balearics. It would make life easier for hoteliers. I stayed in a hotel in Puerto Pollensa last summer which did offer unlimited booze but I didn´t see a single incident.

I would say, though, that allowing clients to help themselves to beer and wine at mealtime could be described as dangerous, especially if it is unlimited. It will be interesting to see whether there is a fall in the number of people who are going on holiday to Magalluf and the Playa de Palma this summer. If there is a major reduction in the number of incidents then it will have been a victory for the government, if there is a fall in bookings, then the alarm bells will be ringing.