Tourists in Majorca have been issued a major warning as the holiday island loved by Brits ramps up safety checks.
The Balearic Government is creating a maritime surveillance service to protect their coastlines and areas of environmental value.
The Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle will obtain a fleet of 22 boats, 12 of which will be assigned to ports to respond to operational needs. The other 10 will be used for inspection and control, particularly on yacht usage.
The new service, currently undergoing public consultation, is part of a reform to nautical charter activity regulations in the Balearics.
The minister, Juan Manuel Lafuente, says the change will reinforce safety and the sector’s sustainability as well as combat intrusion and unfair competition.
Mr Lafuente believes the new service “will represent a qualitative leap in our capacity to monitor and manage the coast”. He said it would provide more efficient and effective action to protect natural heritage and people’s safety.
This would appear to be a response to the incident off Cala Bona in August last year, when a yacht hit a small fishing boat, killing 22-year-old Guiem Comamala.
There have been increasing complaints about the number of boats and the lack of control, and therefore the safety, of tourist-related activities.
This comes as it emerged that a growing number of tourists is opting for Majorca’s smaller neighbour, Menorca. Holiday searches to the island increased by 341% this year, far outstripping its larger neighbours.
Among the reasons highlighted for this sudden switch are cheaper package holidays, available from as little as £300, budget air routes and the appeal of quieter tourism for families.
The fact that Brits may have been made to feel unwelcome in Majorca and Ibiza due to last year’s multitude of overtourism protests could also have played a role in the decision-making protest.