The Spanish island of Majorca has implemented a ban on drinking alcohol in public and plans to replace its budget hotels with upmarket luxury resorts in a bid to discourage binge-drinking European holidaymakers and replace them with high spending, wealthy tourists from Dubai.
Majorca’s economy is dependent on the influx of tourists and nearly two million British holidaymakers and 3.4 million German tourists visited the island last year.
Despite this, Alvaro Gijón, deputy mayor of the island’s capital Palma de Majorca, told German tabloid newspaper Bild he wants to eradicate the island’s reputation as a budget, binge-drinking destination and attract more affluent visitors.
In a bid to rebrand the island, this summer authorities have implemented a ban on drinking in public between 10am and 1pm and this will be extended to 24-hours later in the year.
“Booze tourism is out of date. When people get drunk they should do so in discos, not on the beach in public… There are other places in the world for them,” Gijón was quoted as saying.
A four mile stretch of the beach along the Playa De Palma will also instead revolve around “high-end gastronomy and sport” rather than alcohol, he claimed.
“We want people who spend a lot of money, such as more tourists from China and Dubai. St Tropez, Miami and Las Vegas are the places we’re orienting ourselves towards,” Gijón added.
In a bid to entice wealthy Arab visitors, the island’s government has launched a five year development plan to close down many of its budget hotels and replace them with upmarket luxury accommodation.
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