Spain’s Booze Capital Benidorm Considering Following Baleares Lead Against Boozed Up Brits In Spain

THE Ciudadanos party on Benidorm council wants a crackdown on “booze tourism.”

The town hall should follow the lead set by Baleares’ regional government and ban shop sales of alcohol between 9.30pm and 8am as well two-for-one happy hours, pub crawls and free drinks offers that have made Magaluf notorious. The Baleares’ move met with mixed reactions from Benidorm politicians, some of whom insisted, “Benidorm is not Magaluf.”

Others, like the Ciudadanos councillors, want to know why similar regulations that were drafted two years ago are still gathering dust. Juan Balastegui, Ciudadanos spokesman, commented that his party had raised the matter a month ago. Benidorm would soon be full of stag dos and hen parties with a repetition of the usual problems, he pointed out.

“The Baleares move is interesting. If it could be done here, perhaps the regional government ought to consider supporting it,” Balastegui said. “That would solve a problem that isn’t restricted to Benidorm but is repeated in other municipalities, too.”