The tourism and health ministries and Palma police have undertaken 132 inspections of nightlife establishments and restaurants in the city's main tourist districts over the summer. These have resulted in more than forty sanctions.
Of the various inspections, 23 were for breaches of tourism licences, e.g. not having a licence or exceeding capacities. There were forty for environmental health, and 19 establishments were found to have been breaking the anti-smoking law (four of them in Playa de Palma). In terms of food safety there were no serious breaches except in one case.
On smoking, the government's director general for public health, Maria José Ramos, noted at yesterday's press conference that this is what most concerns her department. There was, for instance, an absence of informative posters about where smoking is possible (and not). With the winter coming, plastic surrounds will be used on terraces and there will be a further inspection campaign to ensure that the terraces are not enclosed.
Tourism minister Biel Barceló said that the objective of the campaign had been to tackle "uncivil" tourism and to send out a clear message that not everything goes. The inspections had therefore concentrated on the likes of the calle Jamón (Schinkenstrasse) in Playa de Palma, which the mayor, Antoni Noguera, described as "a black spot for this touristic model". Other areas included the Paseo Marítimo, Joan Miró and Santa Catalina.
Noguera stressed the importance for businesses which generate "a type of tourism that is not a tourism of quality" to show greater responsibility. The town hall doesn't want this type of tourism and nor does Palma.
Angelica Pastor, the councillor for public safety, observed that there had been inspections of premises that had never been inspected, such as Bierkönig and Megapark. "We are clear that what was going on will not happen again." She and Noguera praised the work of the police's Green Patrol, Noguera voicing his support after all that the Green Patrol has gone through (a reference to police corruption allegations).