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5 months ago
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Fuming business owners in Magaluf have admitted they prefer the rowdy British crowds to losing money as they blast the island's tourist crackdown following another night of booze-fuelled carnage.
Images from the Spanish island have captured drinkers and partygoers from the UK bearing their bottoms on the beach while others show rowdy groups of holidaymakers lining the streets - with some sitting on the pavements with their heads in their hands.
It comes amid the introduction of draconian fines spilling into the thousands if tourists are caught drinking on the streets or buying alcohol past 8.30pm, in a move the government says is only protecting the island.
But tattooists, nightclub workers and taxi drivers were left raging when the Mallorcan authorities decided to embark on the ‘stupid’ journey to rid Magaluf of its binge drinking culture.
Angry locals say their businesses are being put in the ground, their hard-earned money ripped from their pockets and their livelihoods put at risk.
Drinkers head to the beach as clubs close and the sun rises, heading into the sea to cool off in Magaluf, Mallorca
Tourists flashed their bottoms on the beach
A trio of partygoers were spotted taking a dip fully-clothed, seemingly after a long night out on the Strip
Paramedics treat a girl who's passed out on a bench on the party island
Partygoers can be seen sitting on the pavements with their heads in their hands after a long night of hitting the town
Brit holidaymakers are seen cosying up on the floor outside a nightclub on the Spanish island
A women takes a selfie outside Tokio Joe's nightclub with what appears to be a burrito in hand
Father-of-two Oscar, 41, has worked on the Magaluf strip at Sailor Tattoo House for ten years.
He said: ‘The government is ruining businesses. They say, ‘’tourists go home’’. That’s stupid and it's costing us all money. Tourists come and spend their money in the area, which is good for jobs and the economy. It’s just a political thing for the votes, like, ‘’I care for the island, the island is just for the Mallorcans.’’ That’s racism.
‘I’m ashamed when people say ‘’go home tourists’’ because I’m Mallorcan. I hate the government.’
At the start of the summer season last week, around 10,000 locals marched through the streets of Palma to protest what they said was ‘over-tourism’.
Since the drastic measures were announced, more and more Brits are in two minds over whether they should come to Magaluf.
A poll by the Majorca Daily Bulletin found 43 per cent of Brits were thinking twice about coming to the island.
It spelled trouble for locals in the ravers’ paradise where drunk Brits splash their cash to locals reliant on boozy tourists spending money.
Last week, protesters from all walks of life gathered in neighbouring Palma to call for limits on the number of tourists flying in.
They accused foreigners of inflating property prices and driving up the cost of living.
Banging drums and holding banners telling tourists to ‘go home’, demonstrators forced the city’s main road to close as police officers armed with batons and wearing stab-proof vests surveilled the march from riot vans.
In Magaluf, where the booze rarely stops flowing from dawn till dusk, the government reacted to the protests by banning drinking in the street and buying alcohol after 8.30pm from corner shops.
Anyone breaking the rules introduced on May 11 could be fined up to €1,500 (£1,350).
If someone’s offence is decided to be more serious, the fines could increase to €3,000 (£2,550).
A man argues with a bouncer on the Magaluf strip during a night out
Another partygoer was spotted passed out on the steps outside a bar on the infamous Magaluf Strip
Holidaymakers from the UK crowd around in large groups outside a set of clubs
A trio of women embark on a night out on the party island
Every tourist fined will be reported to their respective embassies. The crackdown will last for at least five years, by which time officials hope to have cleaned up the town.
When MailOnline visited the usually bustling Magaluf strip this week, dozens of restaurants were empty at peak times.
On the beaches, sun loungers sat unused despite the fantastic weather. At night, anyone daring to try skinny dipping in the sea was ushered away by patrolling police officers.
There were fewer tourists on the Magaluf Strip than usual and the clubs weren’t filled.
As a result, they are trying even harder to coax people inside, employing multiple promoters at once to offer free drinks to encourage people to enter.
One of these promoters, Ashton, from the Shankill Road in Belfast, came to Magaluf at the start of May, when he was just 17.
He has since turned 18 and worked at Galaxy bar on the Magaluf Strip for around a month.
From 8pm until 4am he stood in the street, drinking on the job and trying to encourage tourists into the bar.
Since the protests last week, he said the flow of tourists had weakened and the party atmosphere had started to weaken.
The youngster said: ‘If you stay for a month you kind of know everybody because you’re up and down the street.
‘It’s calmed down, I don’t see people in the streets driving as much.’
Meanwhile, Magaluf taxi drivers told MailOnline government crackdowns on drinking and the anti-tourist movement across the Balearic Islands threatened their livelihoods.
Two partygoers stumble through the streets during a night out on the Strip
Paramedics treat a girl who's passed out on a bench following a boozy night
A man is seen passed out on a sun lounger as the sun rises over Magaluf
Two worlds collide as locals out for morning exercise come into contact with drinkers still out partying into the next day
Father-of-one José has been a taxi driver for in Magaluf 22 years. At 6am, the streets would usually still be jam-packed with people returning from the Strip.
Yet on Wednesday morning, he and three of his colleagues had no customers even though the clubs had just closed, which would usually signal a rush of people flocking towards the taxi ranks.
Standing beside his empty taxi, José told MailOnline the government’s restrictions would lose him money as boozy Brits who needed taxis at all hours of the day were replaced with older and richer tourists who only needed taxis for a few hours each day.
He said: ‘It’s going to ruin our business. With these people we work 24 hours, with other people it’s quieter at night.’
Toilet assistant John, 45, has cleaned the loos and sells aftershave at Tokio Joe's nightclub on the Magaluf Strip for ten years.
He passionately agreed that the government's restrictions would destroy the club.
John said: 'The government don't want the tourists. It used to be busy but now it's going down, down, down.
Protesters hold a banner reading 'Mallorca is not for sale' during a demonstration to protest against mass tourism and housing prices
The words 'Go Home Tourist' were scrawled in English over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighbourhood that has seen a massive influx of foreign buyers over the past few years
Protesters shout at shocked holidaymakers enjoying dinner and drinks in Palma
'It's going to clean out the club. It's not what it used to be any more.
'They're going to clean out the business.'
Brits on holiday in Magaluf said they were worried about the fines and what it would mean for visiting Mallorca in the future.
Many had first come to the island as children with their parents, who themselves had come as kids.
Yet despite the government’s crackdown on heavy drinking, many Mallorcans are fighting back.
Last week, tattooist Oscar revealed a counter protest saw locals plaster the town with posters that criticised the government.
He said: ‘Four days ago we had a protest - thousands of workers said go away government, you go home.’’
‘Workers put papers out [saying], ‘’Government go home, suck it.’’’
When police officers tore down the posters, they simply came back the next day and stuck more up, he said.
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