Mallorca to slap £25,000 fine for partying on boats this summer

Mallorca, a popular party island in Spain, has been coming up with new rules and restrictions for tourists ahead of the summer.

Parties on boats, the so-called floating discos, are among the most popular activities among tourists in Mallorca, especially with travellers from the UK, who are known to party for hours together on the sea. Mallorca's latest restricted rules are against these floating discos. The council is set to crack down on the boat parties with heavy fines and police action if the drunken cruises continue to irk the locals this summer, reported Majorca Daily Bulletin.

A bummer for UK holidaymakers

A warning has already been sent out by the council, stating that a person could receive a £25,000 fine if they attend illegal parties on the island as officials have begun to clamp down on unlicensed events, according to The Sun.

This rule is certainly a bummer for British travellers, who are gearing up for the summertime. Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, will be in most people's minds as it is one of their most favoured holiday destinations. It is believed that every year more than 2.3 million tourists from the UK holiday in Mallorca, which comes up to nearly 26% of the island's visiting traffic.

Apart from the problems faced by the locals, the floating discos also eat away businesses of various nightlife venues across Mallorca that actually comply with all the regulations, create employment, and pay the corresponding taxes.

Just earlier this month, a chaotic party took place at Colonia Sant Jordi, a resort town located on the southern coast of Mallorca. The bash involved 20 party boats and it lasted for over 13 hours, causing inconvenience to the residents and locals, resulting in several complaints being filed. The partying reportedly began at 5 pm and only concluded at 6 am the following morning.

The local council claimed they did call in the police but were told they had no jurisdiction at sea.

This was not the first time as these noisy parties have been going on across the resort town for almost five years now, and the residents are furious for no action being taken as yet.

Mallorca's tourism councillor, Andreu Serra, said that the Council is working with the Guardia Civil's maritime service and other administration to provide "all the necessary means when complaints are made" and to initiate the required measures. Adding further, Serra stated that "there are more irregularities than in previous years" and now the situation will be monitored, especially with the boats that do not meet the terms of the tourism regulations.

"We have prepared all the operations to act, in collaboration with the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, to put all the necessary means when complaints are made. At the same time, we will activate all the mechanisms to initiate disciplinary proceedings," added Serra.

Residents, hotels file complaints against boozy parties

Even before the official start of the summer in Spain, its residents have already begun to bash the tourists for ruining their peace by non-stop partying by the beaches. Even the hotels have expressed their anger about the floating parties as it supposedly bothers their guests.

Meanwhile, the president of the Balearic Association of Leisure and Entertainment (Abone), Miguel Pérez Marsá said Mallorca is required to take an even stronger approach.

"The city councils must be tougher with this type of action, despite the fact that they do not have powers at sea. We see that there is no political will to tackle this phenomenon at the root, both in terms of non-stop parties and discos on the high seas," added Perez Marsa.

The latest measure has come in place as officials in Mallorca and Ibiza are looking to end booze-fuelled chaos and drunken behaviour throughout the summer. It has also been reported that tourists and residents in Mallorca, Ibiza, and Magaluf will be limited to just six drinks a day, which can only be accessed alongside their lunch and dinner – meaning they'll get to have a maximum of three drinks per meal.