Puerto Soller was on Spanish news on Friday night because of the hard time the bars and restaurants are going though this summer with some establishments already having to lay people off. Recently, Juanmi Ferrer, president of the CAEB Restaurants Association in Mallorca, warned that “hundreds of restaurants will close this year; the summer hasn’t been good”.
“The situation is very difficult. We are very worried about businesses’ bottom lines. Many won’t be able to survive. We haven’t had such a bad summer since before the pandemic.” Ferrer said that on average the number of customers has dropped between five and six per cent, but highlights the cases of places such as Puerto Soller, Sant Elm, and Port Alcudia, where numbers are said to have dropped by some 40%. “We’ve gone from being full to having occupancy rates that don’t exceed 60 per cent.” lay people off.
Now, Soller is back in the news again. An initiative by the local council to encourage water consumption during the Sant Bartomeu festivities has ended up sparking controversy. The measure, presented as the first visible action of the new addiction prevention plan, consists of installing a giant water tank in the Plaza de la Constitució, accompanied by the distribution of luminous cups for those who drink from it.
The Councillor for Festivals, Mar Castañer, defended the proposal, saying that the aim is to ‘encourage people to drink more water and less alcohol’ during celebrations where alcohol consumption skyrockets. Several residents consider the measure unnecessary, pointing out that there are already a dozen public fountains in the square itself and in the surrounding streets.
The expenditure of public money on temporary infrastructure that replicates a service that is already available has been one of the main points of contention. The spokesperson for the local PSOE, Jaume Mateu, questioned the initiative, stating: “This deposit will be next to the fountain in the square so that people have an “alternative” during the festivities.
“I don’t know if what’s lacking is ideas or if what’s surplus is propaganda,” he said. Castañer explained that many people have welcomed the proposal, highlighting that the water from the new fountain is cool and more appealing during the festivities. “People aren’t used to going to fountains to get water,” said the councillor.