Magaluf targets families after anti-social crackdown

SPANISH party resort #Magaluf on Majorca is targeting the family market following a ‘surprisingly successful’ crackdown on pub crawls and anti-social behaviour. 

In 2014, following a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents involving holidaymakers, local authorities introduced legislation forcing companies to apply for a licence to hold pub crawls. Drinking in the street was banned between 10pm and 8am. The action has not only reduced drunken behaviour, but also changed the mix of tourists, according to Alfonso Rodriguez Badal, mayor of Calvia, the region which includes Magaluf and Palma Nova.

A five-year plan to transform Magaluf into a resort to attract wealthy British holidaymakers has now been unveiled.  A consortium of ten British, Spanish, and other hotel and leisure companies are behind the plans to shed the notorious ‘Shagaluf’ image of the destination.

During a trip to the UK to promote the region to #families and special-interest groups, Mr Badal said that anti-social behaviour in Magaluf had fallen by 18% this summer, compared with 2014, while the number of arrests was down by 50%. ‘We didn’t think it would be so successful so quickly,” he said. ‘It’s been a pleasant surprise.’ He credited the clampdown’s success on support from bars, as well as tourists respecting the rules, which police were enforcing through warnings and fines.

The resort has also reported a 3.4% rise in the number of families and 3% more couples visiting this summer. The number of tourists aged under 25, however, fell 3.6% compared with last year. 

Mr Badal said he hoped this trend would continue as more investment was made to adapt to the needs of the family market. In the past three years, €240 million (£171.4 million) has been spent on upgrading hotels and streets in Magaluf and Palma Nova.

Under new rules imposed this summer, drinking is banned in the streets between 12pm and 8am. Only one pub crawl a night can be organized by each bar or company and the organizers have to obtain permission from the authorities a week before they take place. Only officially approved guides are allowed to lead drinkers on the pub crawls.

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Crime rates in Magaluf down by 87%, says hotel association

CRIME rates have fallen by 87% in #Magaluf following a drop the number of young British holidaymakers visiting the notorious Majorcan party resort.

The number of Britons aged 16 to 25 has dropped, replaced by couples aged 30 or more, according to a report by the Magaluf Hotel Association.

Organised pub crawls have significantly reduced, with pubs in the #PuntaBallena area reporting revenues down by 40%.

It’s reported that positive progress has been made in security and public order. After the approval of new law-enforcement measures and a greater presence of both Spanish and, more recently, British police, anti-social behaviour in Punta Ballena and nearby streets is said to be in decline.

Figures show a fall in crime – robberies, prostitution, hawking, and drug dealing –with three arrests compared to 23 in 2014; and 50 percent fewer guests being expelled from hotels for bad behaviour. Fifty per cent fewer cases of balcony falls in Magaluf have also been reported.

The resort is cutting its dependency on British tourists with an increase in Italian, German, Portuguese, and Swedish holidaymakers. However, the UK still represents more than half of the 1.5 million stays up to July.

Hotels are moving away from all-inclusive packages, which make up around 30% of the Magaluf market, in an effort to attract more ‘affluent and sophisticated’ visitors.

More than 40 hotels have been renovated since 2011 as part of re-positioning efforts in Magaluf which will see a further 10 being refurbished and four being upgraded to 4* during 2015/16.

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Responsible holidays to Spain on the increase, as Canaries warn against ‘Magaluf Effect’

AS the new president of the Canaries warns of the dangers of mass tourism for the islands, holiday enquiries by Responsible Travel customers show that interest in the responsible side of #Spain is growing.

It was reported in June that Magaluf’s plans to introduce new laws and fines to control anti-social tourist behaviour had failed to make an impact in ‘cleaning up’ the resort’s image. And the new president of the #CanaryIslands, Fernando Clavijo, has suggested recently that tourist numbers should be capped and that the rising number of cheap, all-inclusive packages should be controlled in order to prevent what he calls the ‘Magaluf Effect’.

Justin Francis, managing director of Responsible Travel comments: ‘There is clearly an increasing interest among travellers to escape the mass tourism of Spain’s more notorious holiday resorts and discover something more authentic, more responsible … in essence, something more Spanish.

‘And with places such as Magaluf trying, and so far failing to crack down on the irresponsible behaviour of the tourists they attract, we are thrilled to see that alternative holiday experiences in Spain, which place real value on local culture and identity and which share the benefits of tourism with local people, are gaining in popularity.’

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Bobbies on the beat … in Magaluf & Ibiza

TWO UK police officers have been sent to #Magaluf, Majorca, to help their Spanish counterparts deal with troublesome British holidaymakers.

The UK's ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, says their presence ‘will help to remind British holidaymakers of the importance of respecting local laws and custom’.

The officers will be in Magaluf for one week before moving on to spend a week in San Antonio, #Ibiza.

They will initially act as a liaison between Spanish police and young Brits. Magaluf, visited by an estimated one million UK tourists every year, has been dubbed ‘Shagaluf" because of the antics of young holidaymakers.

The town has been trying to improve its image by cracking down on drunkenness and debauchery with new rules that went into effect in June, but the new regulations – which include a ban on drinking alcohol on the street between 10pm and 8am and restrictions on bar crawls – have been ignored by British visitors.

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: If two officers can be found for this absurd exercise in futility, is it possible to believe British constabularies when they say do not have sufficient manpower to police the streets of Birmingham, Bolton or Bristol? Call me old fashioned, but other questions this example of Anglo-Spanish co-operation raises are: If the law in Magaluf and on Ibiza is being ignored, is it not the responsibility of the Spanish police and courts to see that it’s enforced? How do our two boys in blue plan to tackle the drunk British louts? Reason with them?

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Anti-social behaviour crackdown in Magaluf: street drinking ban, and pub crawl controls

A BAN on drinking alcohol in the streets after 10pm is part of a clampdown on anti-social behaviour in #Magaluf ahead of the summer season.

The regulations, which come into force on June 9 have been approved after consultation with the Spanish and Balearic governments and local businesses.

Rules on pub crawls, a ban on shops selling alcohol between midnight and 8am, increased use of CCTV surveillance, and the deployment of an extra 36 police officers on the streets during the summer peak are part of the measures.

Fines of between €750  and €3,000 will be imposed on people involved in anti-social behaviour including ‘balconing’, urinating in public, or being naked in the street.

Rules on pub crawls include:

• Organizing companies will be limited to one crawl per day, between 8pm and midnight
• A maximum of 20 participants per pub crawl
• Participants must be escorted by both a member of the holiday company and accredited security personnel
• Pub crawl staff must have first aid training
• Pub crawl promotions must be authorized seven days in advance
• Pub crawl participants must be over 18 years old, wear special identification clothes, and provide a contact person in case of emergency.

Isabel Borrego, Spain's tourism secretary, said: ‘The Spanish government strongly supports the new regulations passed by Calvia Council. They will foster a framework in which all international tourists can fully enjoy their holidays in Spain in a manner that is responsible both for themselves and the destination.’

Balearic Islands tourism counsellor, Jaime Martinez, said: ‘The improvements and investment in Magaluf over the winter, together with the new regulations recently approved by Calvia Council, clearly show that there is no way back from the transformation of this popular destination.’

Simon Manley, the UK’s Ambassador in Madrid, added: ‘We want British visitors to Magaluf to enjoy themselves, as they do elsewhere in #Spain. But we also want them to stay safe and to respect the laws and customs of Spain. We work closely with the local authorities in Majorca and we welcome any measures they can take to support those aims.’

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Street drinking and pub crawls could be banned ....

.... in Megaluf crackdown on yobs

A CRACKDOWN on antisocial behaviour in Magaluf, Majorca, has been agreed by the Balearic Islands government, the local council and hoteliers.

Among the measures implemented are new regulations outlawing antisocial behaviour, the introduction of combined international police patrols, which will include agents of the British police, and a new administrative status for Magaluf as mature tourist destination.

The move follows incidents of antisocial behaviour in the summer in Magaluf.

Proposed measures include:

· A social regulation bylaw will be passed forbidding the consumption of alcohol in the streets, and other antisocial behaviour. This might include a ban on pub crawls

· Police patrolling, inspections and administrative sanctions will be increased

· The increased presence of the Spanish Civil Guard

· International combined police patrols, which will include British agents, will be increased

· Tourist accommodation companies will be given six months to present modernization plan to adapt hotels and apartments to the new rating specifications

The UK Foreign Office has backed these initiatives through Gillian Brion, British vice consul for the Balearic Islands.

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Magaluf pub crawls face tighter control

PUB CRAWL organisers in Magaluf, Majorca, will need to obtain a licence following the local government’s shock over a video that recently went viral on social media.

The Mayor of the Calvià municipality in which Magaluf is situated, has passed a law that puts tighter controls on organized pub crawls, making it the first local authority to implement specific rules. It means ‘guides’ will have a wear a jacket so local police can monitor them, and companies will be fined if there are more than 50 people on each pub crawl.

The action comes after a video went viral on social media showing a female holidaymaker performing sexual acts with 24 men in a Magaluf bar while on an organised crawl.

‘As mayor of the municipality of Calvià, I wish to express my total rejection and anger at the activities,’ said Manuel Onieva.

The Calvià region of Majorca has successfully moved past its clubbing holiday image in recent years, encouraging more to visit the region for its upmarket beach clubs, cycling, family attractions, food and hiking.

Onieva added: ‘Since 2012, the Town Hall’s internal tourism organization, Visit Calvià, has been working very successfully in the UK to change the perception of the region. It is such a shame that an irresponsible act by one rogue operator is threatening to undo our hard work. Our commitment to promote our beautiful region to the UK remains as strong as ever.’

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