The consumption of alcoholic beverages on public streets in certain tourist areas of Mallorca and Eivissa will be sanctioned with fines ranging from 500 to 1,500 euros, except for terraces or legally authorised areas. It will also require the total closure of commercial establishments between 21:30h and 08:00h, and not only the closure of the alcohol display cabinets. These tourist areas are located in the municipalities of Palma, Calvià and Llucmajor, in Mallorca, and Sant Antoni de Portmany, in Eivissa.

Photo: Twitter of the Balearic Government.

This is the result of the modification made by the Balearic Government of the Decree Law 1/2020 “for responsible tourism and the improvement of the quality of tourist areas”, previously called “against excessive tourism”. The change of name “is motivated by the need to highlight the objective of this Decree Law and to emphasise the idea of responsible tourism. It is also considered that the previous title did not favour the image of the main industry of the Balearic Islands”, according to the Balearic Islands government.

In addition to the ban on street drinking, the decree warns that it is also forbidden for vessels with parties or large events and alcohol sales on board to come within one nautical mile (1.852 km) of the affected areas, as well as to pick up or disembark passengers.

It also includes the reservation of a maximum of 4 million euros per year from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) for each of the affected municipalities. In total, 16 million euros per year to finance projects relating to “measures to improve inspection, safety and awareness for responsible tourism”, according to the Balearic government.