Tourists could be caught out by new police drones this summer (Image: Getty)
Holidaymakers planning to let loose on their trips to will face increased surveillance from a new police drone unit.
The extra security measures, limited to peak tourist season in the , are part of a wider investment in the island’s police force, with Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual’s plan to boost its security seeing crime fall by 75% in the Calvia region last year, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.
Local authorities must be anticipating a fresh dose of unruliness from sun-seeking tourists in July and August, however, with new plans laying out a dramatic step up in crime monitoring – the deployment of a fleet of police to keep an eye on antisocial behaviour across the popular holiday spot.
The western coast town, famous for its party strip, introduced new laws curbing alcohol consumption in public areas and stricter rules around party boats last May as part of a drive towards “responsible ”.
It means revellers in Magaluf, alongside Palma, Llucmajor and San Antonio in Ibiza, face penalties of up to £1,290 (€1,500) if their drinking “deteriorates the tranquility of the environment”.
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Drones will be used by Spanish police to crack down on antisocial behaviour (Image: Getty)
The new, bolstered security plans will likely be welcomed by residents who have grown impatient with young and reckless tourists turning the town into their playground.
Criticising the “horrendous” racket generated by rowdy youngsters during the peak season, one Magaluf local told the Ultima Horra newspaper: “[Tourists] walk down the street in flocks. We have to put up with it every day. These noises can last well into the morning.”
The crackdown on crime in Majorca could backfire by discouraging Brits from booking their flights out of fear of being made unwelcome – a worrying prospect for an island group that relies on tourism for 45% of its revenue.
They could also be put off by last summer’s anti-tourism protests, which saw thousands of unhappy locals take to the streets of the island’s capital city Palma brandishing signs calling on the government to address spiralling house prices and overcrowding from foreign visitors.
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The protests didn’t have a noticeable effect on last year’s trade, with a year-on-year rise in tourist numbers by 6.7%, but industry experts have warned that the island group shouldn’t be complacent about the effects even a minor drop could have on its economy.
“The market is changing, not only with regard to travel habits but also the competition,” Pedro Foil, president of the Balearic Association of Travel Agents, told the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
“Here in the Balearics, Spain as a whole, the public administrations need to be aware of that and they can’t continue to look at tourism as a cash cow while constantly throwing up new hurdles for the industry and travellers to overcome,” he said.
He added: “We get the impression that while we live off tourism, we don’t seem to like tourists.”