Editorial: Holiday time

I received a call yesterday from a reader who was complaining about a group of rowdy  tourists at a bar opposite his home. He told me that they were singing at the top of their voices quite late at night.  Now, the reader lived in Palma and rowdy behaviour of this sort is outlawed as part of the new “Good Citizen Plan”.He asked me if it happens again should he  call the police or just turn a blind eye because he lived in a holiday destination and afterall these were just people on holiday who were having a good time. It is an interesting question. After all we do live on a holiday island and holidaymakers come here to have fun. I said that it was probably best  to turn a blind eye. Tourism is vital to these shores and without tourism we are nothing. But it did make me think. Should rowdy behaviour be tolerated in the interests of the local economy or should we contact the police at once? Now, one of the reasons why the city council in Palma introduced their “Good Citizen Plan” was because certain sections of the local community have had enough of rowdy behaviour by tourists. Enough is enough, is the war cry of the modern Majorca. And to some extent they have a point. But they should also remember that when they are on holiday they probably let their hair down as well and do things which could  be prosecuted under the “Good Citizen Plan.” Holidays are fun and while I would never support bad behaviour  I do believe that everyone is entitled to let their hair down!