Balearics bans 'happy hours', pub-crawls and open bars in popular holiday hotspots

Cheap accommodation, flights and packages mean the islands' coasts are popular with young northern Europeans, typically groups of friends and often on one of their first holidays away from home, and the availability and inexpensive nature of alcohol creates a round-the-clock drinking culture in the spring and summer months in certain key resort towns.

Anti-social behaviour is usually rife in these areas at night in high season – vomiting, urinating and defecating in the streets, nudism, sexual acts in public, fights, noise and vandalism make life unpleasant for locals and lower the tone of the area, giving the Balearics an unjustifiably poor image as a bargain basement holiday destination.

In fact, the Balearic Islands are a huge hit with families, culture vultures, history and nature lovers, and have plenty to offer the discerning visitor at any time of year, but unfortunately, it has been the drunken antics of mostly-British young adults which have made international headlines.

The regional government has finally decided to take action to change all that.

Targeting the most tourist-heavy areas – Magaluf, Palma beach and the West End of San Antonio (Sant Antoni de Portmany) in Ibiza, authorities have passed a law which is described as 'pioneering in Europe': organised pub-crawls are now illegal, 'happy hours' and two-for-one and three-for-one promotions in bars are not permitted, automatic alcohol dispensers banned, shops prohibited from selling alcohol between 21.30 and 08.00, and hotels and restaurants are only allowed to let each customer have a maximum of three alcoholic drinks with a meal.

Numerous serious accidents and fatalities have been caused by northern Europeans, especially young Brits, falling from balconies whilst drunk – sometimes accidentally, when trying to climb into a neighbouring apartment via the terrace, sometimes through forgetting their keys and attempting to scramble up into their rooms via the outside, but sometimes deliberately, in a stunt known as 'balconing'.

This involves attempting to jump off a balcony into the swimming pool below, or leaping from terrace to terrace, and is usually fuelled by drink and bravado and friends egging each other on.

But now, hotels are legally obliged to kick out any tourists known to have been 'balconing' or encouraging others to do so.

The onus is on the hotel or apartment resort to expel the offenders – if the management opts not to do so, the business can be fined.

And those tourists who take part in these foolhardy games can be fined between €6,000 and €60,000.

Hotels will also be fined the same amount, and can face hefty penalties if they do not warn guests that they risk being removed from the premises if they practice this behaviour.

Rooms cannot now be let by the hour – only overnight – and alcohol advertising is prohibited, as well as any alcohol being on display in hotels.

Premises which do not comply could face being shut down for up to three years and fines ranging from €60,000 to €600,000.

Selling alcohol to pregnant women or under 18s – or anyone of around that age who cannot produce legal ID – is prohibited, and open bars are also illegal, as well as unrestricted alcohol as part of all-inclusive accommodation packages.

'Party boats' – which, like organised pub-crawl tours, are often on the optional excursion list for package holidaymakers in highly-populated Balearic resort towns – are now heavily restricted; new permits will not be granted until regional legislation is brought in, which is expected to be within the next two years, and those companies already authorised to run 'party boat' trips are not permitted to let passengers on or off in any of the three areas the law covers, Magaluf, the West End or Palma beach.

This is the first law in Europe to restrict promotion and consumption of alcohol in specific parts of towns, and the first to clamp down legally on thoughtless behaviour by hotel guests.

Tourism, work and economy minister for the region, Iago Negueruela, says his team talked extensively with hoteliers and resort managers, bars, restaurants and other main commercial players in the holiday industry.

He explains that the law will run for five years at first, will apply immediately, but existing contracts held by tour operators and hotels will be honoured where they may be in conflict with the new legislation.