Arenal in Llucmajor and part of Playa de Palma are covered by the Balearic government's tourism of excesses decree. Palma town hall and Palma police have zones defined as "special intervention". Playa de Palma is one of these zones. Regional legislation, municipal controls and ordinance, and yet residents of Arenal and Playa de Palma are enduring the same problems as ever.
In Arenal, some 5,000 young tourists arrive each day. They are from Spain and from abroad. They are not all students, but the majority are. The partying goes on until well into the early hours. A resident who lives near Balneario 1 say that the music and screaming near her home are so intense that she finds it "impossible to sleep". Katia Treviño sees plenty of police, but it's as if they weren't there. "Everything's the same, just like before the pandemic. The fact is that the police's hands are tied. When they come up against large groups of young people - many of them drunk - they can't act. They could trigger a response that would be dangerous."
David Servera of the Llucmajor Residents Association believes that "the only solution is that they don't come". "When they get together and drink they are unstoppable. They end up setting fire to beach parasols and breaking litter bins. And there are fights." He notes that the tour organisers are offering more disco nights in order to get the youngsters off the streets. "But when they close, they go back on the streets."
Concha Bustamante lives on the second line between Balneario 3 and 4. She says things are worse than ever. There is screaming, loud music and mess all day long. She doesn't blame the tourists so much as the town hall. "The neighbours are desperate. Many make complaints, but these are useless. They told us that all this was going to be controlled, but it's not true. It's worse. The mayor of Palma should come and take a walk around here."
There is one resident, Encarna Valle, who has lived in Playa de Palma for 43 years, who can understand this type of tourism. "It's what helps feeds us. They want to make noise and have a good time, they are young."
But for most residents it's an all too familiar story of noise, disturbance and excesses, despite the legislation and Palma town hall's "special interventions".