Editorial: Problems in Magalluf

THE protest march through the streets of Magalluf on Sunday made a big point. People have had enough. Even tourists joined the march against illegal street vendors and muggers masquerading as prostitutes. I was happy to see that the protest was well publicised in the Spanish press. Magalluf doesn´t usually feature too heavily in the pages of local Spanish newspapers. Most Majorcans, outside of Calvia, believe that Magalluf is a no go area for them and they would never venture into the resort because of its infamous reputation.  What happens in Magalluf, stays in Magalluf. But the protest has brought the problem home to Majorca. Here you had business people, local residents and tourists joining together to fight for a common cause;the end of Magalluf´s ills. I am sure that the protest will have struck a chord with other people living in resorts across the island. Now it is time for the local authorities to act and they are reacting. There are extra police and hopefully they will soon start dealing with the problems in  Magalluf.  Yes, if you want a quiet and problem free holiday you can go to other resorts on the island. Yes, Magalluf has a reputation. But we can´t have “no-go areas” in Majorca. Come on local authorities, the people have spoken and now is the time for action. It is not easy to get 250 people to turn out for a protest march on a Sunday afternoon, but they turned up, underlining the fact that Magalluf has a problem.