THOUSANDS of Brits who are already booking summer holidays to the notorious resort of Magaluf have been told wild pub crawls and party boats aren’t coming back anytime soon.
Young partygoers who have been locked down for the best part of a year were hopeful of celebrating their freedom by descending on the wild holiday hotspot – with ministers saying holidays could be back after May 17.
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Magaluf is notorious for its raucous behaviour and heavy drinking – with the Spanish island of Majorca welcoming millions of Brits every summer.
And with the UK planning to have everyone vaccinated by July, some are already gambling on lockdown restrictions being lifted by the summer holiday season.
But anyone hoping for a boozy trip to Magaluf on the island of Majorca will be met with harsh Covid restrictions and a completely different atmosphere to those of recent years, a top tourist chief has warned.
Plans are to scrap many of the famous cheap drink deals and the most riotous parties in bid to keep people safe from Covid and to help reinvent the resort's image.
Javier Pascuet, director general of tourism for Calvia, told The Sun Online that the pandemic restrictions are helping them enforce changes to the image of the party town.
Mr Pascuet told The Sun Online: “The normal Covid regulations will be in place for tourists visiting so in bars there will be a limit to the number of people allowed in.
“There will be no party boats, pub crawls or happy hours.
It is okay to come here to party and have a good time but we don’t want the excesses, the hospital bills, it’s about a balance
“That means all you can drink, offers like two-for-one drinks, there will be none of that. There will be areas of Magaluf you can’t drink so there will be quiet, family areas.”
This is a far cry from the traditional image of the Punta Ballena strip, with most bars offering rock bottom prices and 2-4-1 drinks offers.
He added: “It is okay to come here to party and have a good time but we don’t want the excesses, the hospital bills, it’s about a balance.”
Mr Pascuet added that Calvia Council is using lockdown to enforce changes they were already planning in Magaluf.
Magaluf authorities are eager to move away from the boozy Brit resort image into a more family-friendly place.
RyanAir wrapped over ‘Jab and Go’ ad
Ryanair TV ads encouraged summer holiday bookings
Budget airline Ryanair produced two adverts over the Christmas period encouraging people to book their summer holidays.
An image of a syringe and vaccine vial was accompanied by a voice-over saying: "Covid vaccines are coming. So book your Easter and summer holidays today with Ryanair.”
Watchdogs received 2,370 complaints about the ads, the third highest ever for a commercial.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled it "misleading" and "irresponsible" to imply most Brits would be vaccinated by the summer.
An ASA spokesman said: "The specific references to Easter and summer holidays directly linked the rollout of the vaccine to the implication that many people who wished to go on holiday during those periods would be able to do so as a direct result of being vaccinated.
"Many complainants also raised concerns that the ads, and particularly the claim 'Jab and go' implied that individuals would be able to obtain a vaccine 'on demand' in order to go on holiday, and that maximal protection could be achieved immediately after one dose of vaccine."
“We considered the ads could encourage people to behave irresponsibly once vaccinated."
The usual army of Brit promoters working in Magaluf will also be forced to apply for a residency permit to work there for the summer.
Spain and Majorca will need an influx of tourists this summer, particularly from the UK to rescue the economy.
Brit tourists visiting Spain fell by 82% last year due to the pandemic, with the Balearic Islands the hardest hit.
Many businesses on the island and particularly on the Magaluf strip were forced to close due to a lack of overseas visitors.
Mauricio Carballeda, the president of the Palmanova-Magaluf Hoteliers Association in the Balearic Islands, told el Pais: "The quarantine was a deathblow.
"Instead of holding on a little longer, hotels had to gradually close because the impact in the fall of British tourists was devastating."
Despite Mr Pascuet’s warning, Brits fed up of lockdown are booking summer holidays in their droves.
Around two-and-a-half million Brits descended on Majorca every year before coronavirus, and officials are hoping to see the first Brits arriving by the end of June.
Mark Bottomley, managing director of Feelsummer Online who offer accommodation packages and run events in Magaluf, told The Sun Online the vaccine rollout had encouraged people to start booking holidays again.
He said: “Up until a few weeks ago, compared to previous years, bookings were understandably lower.
“However, over the past few weeks and in sight of the vaccine news, we have noticed a considerable jump in website traffic and bookings which can only be a good sign for the summer ahead.”
“Since the news of the vaccine roll out, our enquiries have doubled and traffic is slowly returning to normal.
“People in general now seem more optimistic for the summer ahead. Cancun, Magaluf and Zante are taking precedence for key party destinations.
“We remain optimistic that this is the transition back to normality.”
“People are frustrated now and have needed a holiday. If restrictions are lifted then I can only see one outcome and that’s a busy summer ahead.”
Under current coronavirus restrictions, it is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and leisure activities.
The Prime Minister announced that the government would not make any decision until April on foreign holidays – and that trips abroad will definitely be no earlier than May 17.
Currently anyone who travels abroad to the 33 "high risk" countries has to self-isolate for 10 days in a quarantine hotel.
It is unknown whether holiday makers will have to stay in a quarantine hotel after trips booked for later this year.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Health, there have been 3,153,971 cases of Covid-19, with 67,636 deaths.
Spain seems to be further along in its recovery than the UK, with bars in Brit tourist hotspot Malaga beginning to reopen this week.
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