I have been rather amazed by the reaction of some people on social media to the Balearic government´s plan to outlaw so-called booze tourism. Now, I don´t know whether some of them have a guilty conscience or they actually believe that rowdy and drunken tourists have a place in the Balearics.
Not according to Balearic President, Francina Armengol. Some actually said on social media that the ban would mean “the loss of many jobs and would have a direct impact on the Balearic economy....” Now I don´t know whether the authors of these “words of wisdom” were under the influence themselves but it seems odd that anyone in their right mind would try and defend “drunken and rowdy tourists.” I look at it like this. You go to a bar or a restaurant and at the next table there are a group of people who´ve had a few too many and they are making a nuisance of themselves.
What do you do? You can either sit there and watch in horror or walk out. This is what the Balearic government wants to ban, rowdy tourists who basically have given Mallorca a bad name.
Yes, the crackdown may mean that some bars in some resorts suffer lower takings but it could also mean that more tourists come to the island because they are not concerned about the rowdy behaviour from their fellow holidaymakers. Yes, excessive drinking is not just reserved for some tourists, many local residents do so as well and the police are trying to crackdown. But, you can´t really defend the undefendable.