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Raise the mugs: scene from the Bierkönig bar in Mallorca (in May)
Photo: Augst / Eibner / IMAGO
For 50 years, many have been drawn to the Ballermann to celebrate.
During the past two years, however, it had become quiet there due to the corona pandemic.
Mallorca hoped to permanently shed the old image.
Luxury instead of babble.
Now, however, booze tourism is returning to the island — and according to business owners, it's even worse than before.
Some vacationers arrive at the hotels around ten in the morning and by 2 p.m. they can no longer leave, the newspaper "Última Hora" quoted Juan Miguel Ferrer, managing director of an initiative for more quality on Playa de Palma.
Money just for alcohol
Vacationers typically booked ten days in advance and stayed an average of three or four nights.
They only spend 30 to 40 euros a day, most of it on alcohol, Ferrer complained.
Tourists were still partying as late as 4am, sometimes using megaphones that would inexplicably continue to be freely sold.
In some cases, holidaymakers who were completely drunk would simply be left lying on the street by their friends.
Recently, a German travel group made headlines, which is said to have caused a big fire near the Ballermann.
She is accused of throwing burning butts and alcohol from the balcony of her hotel room onto the thatched roof of the terrace of a restaurant below.
The roof caught fire, two restaurants, an apartment and parts of the restaurant were severely damaged.
"We already consider the season lost in terms of controlling excesses," the "Mallorca Zeitung" quoted Ferrer as saying.
The police must also enforce the stricter rules on the streets.
A few weeks ago he was still optimistic.
Corona acted as a catalyst for their own efforts and attracted a new type of vacationer.
They want things like good food with local products and environmentally friendly local transport.
Unfortunately, this positive development came to an end on May 10th.
"As soon as the big party temples were open again, this new type of vacationer was pushed out by the old party crowd," Ferrer regrets.
"Since then we have suffered from the arrival of large groups of tourists just looking to get drunk in the streets, on the promenade or on the beach," the newspaper quoted Ferrer as saying.
Editor's note: An earlier version of the opening credits spoke of several entrepreneurs calling for tougher police action. In fact, only one entrepreneur expresses himself accordingly in the text. We corrected the wording.
apr/dpa