Bikini-clad ladies enrage locals in Palma in newest near-naked show
Spanish residents have been left outraged by the sight of a group of bikini-clad tourists strolling through the streets of Majorca’s capital Palma after they apparently arrived on a party boat – the latest near-naked display to rile locals.
Footage shared by the residents association in Paseo Marítimo, overlaid with the caption ‘THIS IS PARTY BOATS’ in a mix of Spanish and English, showed five women walking down a road in Palma, with a group of onlookers appearing to stare nearby.
‘We started the Party Boat season,’ lamented the group on social media, tagging local authorities. ‘Without any shame as if they were out on the beach… Police are not around nor [are they] expected.’
The video drew the ire of other concerned locals, who furiously typed out comments to express their views.
‘Truly DISGUSTING and DEGRADING,’ one wrote. ‘They have to stop it as soon as possible… We can’t and we don’t want to allow it… It must be REPORTED AND THE AUTHORITIES SEE IT AND STOP IT DEFINITIVELY.’
While the date the video was filmed was unclear, its release comes just days after a tourist was snapped in tight green swimming shorts – sparking calls for near-naked tourists to even be arrested for their conduct abroad.
The residents association shared video of the tourists walking in the streets in swimwear
The island continues to issue dress code guidance for visitors drawn in by the sun
The footage provoked strong reactions from residents concerned about tourists’ dress
The group walked through a crowd of locals appearing to look in their direction
Amid continental concern about how to manage ‘overtourism’, and against the backdrop of Spain-specific protests against the influx of tourists, one user commented on the video that ‘When they arrive they’re like a bucket’.
‘And the police, as usual, are neither seen nor expected,’ they continued.
‘There is no police presence anywhere at any time.’
Earlier this week, residents shared similar frustrations towards a photo of a tourist walking through the island’s capital in nothing but a pair of green swimming trunks.
The man, who has not been identified, was seen strolling through Palma with little on his person, save for a red beach towel.
He was seen walking through the busy street, with dozens of people around him in the Jaume III neighbourhood of Palma.
One outraged social media user decried the man ‘another moron that should be banned from the island’.
‘If the government/police were serious, they could slowly improve Mallorca by banning all these types of idiots.’
Spanish authorities have indeed called on tourists to dress up when they visit Palma.
While the island does attract many visitors for its beautiful sandy beaches, tourist boards urge that dress codes do apply off the beach.
‘How visitors are attired is imporant,’ abcMallorca published in a guide for visitors.
‘Discretion with clothing is… advisable in city centres. Only the young wear shorts, with most working people wearing trousers or skirts.
‘Nine in ten visitors to Spain don’t go beyond the coastline, which means most people come here expecting to wear little.
‘That doesn’t mean, however, that wearing swimwear or for men to go bare-chested in cities is okay. Personal appearance is seen as an indicator of character.
In 2022, seaside restaurants in Mallorca issued a more official dress code for dining at local establishments in an effort to curb antisocial tourism.
This included not turning up shirtless, in silly costumes or in football shirts, according to Juan Miguel Ferrer of Palma Beach, reported by The Guardian at the time.
‘What we’re trying to communicate, in some way, is the idea that to enter here you should go shower or change outfits,’ he added.
‘You’re not going to come here in beach clothes or come straight from drinking in the streets.’
The man, who has not yet been identified, was seen strolling through Palma with little on his person, save for a red beach towel
He was seen walking through the busy street, with dozens of people around him in the Jaume III neighbourhood of Palma
The rules only applied to certain restaurants – although they were soon followed by new measures from resorts in Barcelona, Vigo, San Juan and Playa de Palma about tours, urinating in the sea, dancing at bars and wearing football shirts.
On Tuesday it was reported Majorca would clamp down on rowdy tourists by introducing a 9:30pm alcohol curfew – as Palma vowed to introduce tougher measures to lower tourist numbers.
Maria Frontera, president of the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation, called for a ‘strategic plan’ to tackle overcrowding, stressing the ‘critical’ state of the situation.
She cited the need for a ‘balance of coexistence’ between residents and visitors, with residents increasingly concerned about the types of holidaymaker attracted to the kinds of stays in the Spanish sun on offer.
Some 11.47million tourists visited Majorca in 2022. By summer last year, initial forecasts predicted 2023’s figures were set to rise, with July alone up 5.9 per cent year on year.
Many island destinations find themselves in a bind, still recovering from pandemic travel restrictions and with economies built around accommodating tourists – but also managing the needs and sensibilities of the local population.
