It is time for Palma city council to sort out Playa de Palma, the enormous holiday resort which is for the Germans what Magalluf is for the British. The resort is already in the firing line over so-called booze tourism and despite repeated calls for action and new legislation little or nothing is being done. I suspect that it will be Playa de Palma which is the spotlight and not Magalluf this year. The massive amount of investment in Magalluf has meant that it has cleaned up its image. It still has a long way to go, according to some, but it could be said that things are getting better. Meanwhile, the so-called trouble zone in Playa de Palma is far bigger. In Magalluf it is just isolated to one street, in Playa de Palma it is almost a whole neighbourhood.
What can the city council do? Well I would say that more police are needed and fast and all the anti-social legislation which has been introduced by the council needs to be enforced. A few years ago the council introduced many new laws aiming at curbing anti-social behaviour; tourists were not permitted to wear just swimming trunks or a just a bikini away from the promenade. A whole raft of legislation was introduced to curb excessive drinking. The list goes on but sadly little or none of this legislation is being enforced. Hoteliers, who have made substantial investment in their businesses in the area, are calling for a crackdown. The Spanish media also wants action. This summer is going to be crucial.
Playa de Palma is the so-called king of the sort of tourism Majorca doesn't want -booze tourism - and I can see plenty of unfavourable headlines.