"We have a new season, but with the usual problems. We have come through Covid, the tourists are returning. There is talk of improving the quality of tourism, but nothing changes. Rather, everything continues as before. Or worse. Magalluf, like Playa de Palma, fills up with prostitutes at night. They have no intention of 'practising', only robbing tourists when they return to their hotels, some with more alcohol inside them than they should have.
"The pub crawls have returned. Going to a series of bars and drinking for little money. There are the party boats, illegal parties with alcohol at sea. Without any control, just as there is no control over those who organise them. Apart from illegal pub crawling and party boats without any type of activity licence, there is the general quality of the tourist who visits us. In particular the alcohol tourist, who has no qualms about urinating in the street and laughing about it.
"The number of street sellers is increasing. They sell anything, approaching tourists on the beaches and offering them all their merchandise. It's not just the beach. You come across them anywhere there are people. On Schinkenstrasse (Playa de Palma), for example, you find them in droves. And street vending is prohibited. Oh yeah? It's unfair competition for shops that pay their taxes and self-employment charges. But no one does anything."
On the Balearic government's tourism law amendment to clamp down on illegal parties, Tirado believes these are very good measures. "But if there are not enough police and inspectors and they don't provide the necessary means for the law to be effective, toughening up is useless. I say this because of the experience we have of seeing how every season, both at sea and on land, clandestine parties are organised which contribute nothing to the public treasury - social security and the Tax Agency.
"This is why I say that if the sanctions are tightened but there is no one to enforce them, we will continue in the same way. No matter how harsh the law is against offenders, if the police don't have the appropriate means to stop things, little will be achieved. The tourism model will only improve by putting order on the streets. I'm sorry to have to say that we have started the season with the usual problems."
"Is the tourism model changing at all-inclusive hotels? Why insist on something that is not true? I repeat: the tourism model will only improve by putting order on the streets. And this isn't happening because there is a lack of police."
Tirado recognises that his association can "sometimes be critical". "But the aim of the association is to collaborate with all institutions and security forces for the general good and that of tourist resorts. Our criticism is always positive and constructive, with the intention of improving the situation."
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The bad behaviour just continues in Magalluf, Sta Catalina and Playa de Palma.....far too much alcohol, too many bars open late, too many stag parties, too many life changing accidents all due to excess alcohol and all this continues to give our island a bad image in the rest of Europe. When will the local government stop just talking about changing this and finally invest in enough law enforcement equipped with a robust zero tolerance mandate to finally control this unacceptable behaviour by rowdy "tourists of excess".
More enforcement? Absolutely! But more importantly, if a tourist is fined (for pissing in the street for example) make sure they pay. If other illegals are arrested, make sure they are not just kicked back out on the streets the next day (often repeatedly) to continue their prostitution/mugging/selling. It’s an endless game being played and is largely due to the law not being anything like strong enough. Are all these so called prostitutes and looky looky sellers legally here? If not, deport them. Better still, go for the bigger fish behind it all. The gangs and criminal syndicates. Will they? No, because it’s a tough call and probably some key persons in authority have been bought off to keep the status quo. Same as, same as.
Illegal pub crawling? What's illegal about that? Anyways, the rules can tighten, nothing changes. Like the alcohol tolerance when driving. They made it %. So what? People that were drinking and driving are still doing it with absolutely no exception. And I've seen not once Spaniards in Santa Catalina peeing in between the parked cars...
Note to our esteemed authorities : Read this article, understand, formulate a plan, act on the plan.