The British and German consulates are to cooperate with Palma town hall in developing awareness-raising campaigns designed to tackle tourist bad behaviour and drunkenness. These campaigns will be through communications channels in Palma and also in the UK and Germany. Putting an end to "booze tourism" in Playa de Palma is the main aim.
Mayor Antoni Noguera yesterday met the British vice-consul, Lucy Gorman, and the German consul, Sabine Karola Lammers. Although there was an acceptance that anti-social behaviour and drunkenness is a problem with only a minority of tourists, this minority nevertheless projects a "bad image" of tourism in Palma.
Noguera recently referred to an element of German tourists as "rubbish", something which attracted the attention of the German media, especially the sensationalist sector, most obviously Bild. He explained: "It's not that we have anything against tourism. Quite the contrary. But there is an understanding that drunkenness among tourists presents a negative image."
The mayor observed that the drunken tourism is confined mainly to calle del Jamón (Schinkenstrasse, as it is known in German) and around Megapark. "Everyone is aware that this type of tourist creates no benefits, either to the city or to tourism in general."
He stressed that Palma is a place for welcoming tourists but that it is also somewhere of respect, of civility and of good coexistence. There is, he added, consensus between business, residents, public institutions and countries from which tourists come to end this type of tourism in Playa de Palma.
"We don't want drunken or violent tourism. We want tourists who come here for a great experience, to enjoy the sun, the beach, the bars and restaurants." As mayor, he said he was ashamed and that he intends stopping this unwanted tourism. He added that he will shortly be meeting tour operators and be putting across this message, focusing on those which bring a type of tourism that is "of very low quality".
Problems with behaviour and drunkenness have been largely ones to do with younger German tourists. A recent video captured a fight by Balneario Six that occurred in the middle of an afternoon, while there was massive outrage at an incident involving German neo-Nazis at the Bierkönig in Arenal. On the neo-Nazis, Noguera observed that they are likely to go where there is uncivil tourism. "Everything is linked."