German media has voiced outrage after Mallorca’s famous battle of the beach towels was replaced with a digital system that forces holidaymakers to book their loungers in advance by mobile phone app.
The new rules are in place at some of the island’s best-known resorts, including Calvia, Alcudia and Santa Ponca, which attract hundreds of thousands of British tourists every summer.
For decades Brits and Germans mocked each other over the five-in-the-morning race to stake out prime spots with a towel before heading back to bed and returning at midday to enjoy front-row access while everyone else was left without.
Now that ritual has gone. Visitors who turn up without an online booking are turned away by staff even when loungers are empty, with rows of seats tied off with red “Reservado” (“Reserved”) bands.
A standard set of two loungers and a parasol costs about EUR 18 (GBP 15) per day. Premium packages with extras such as cushions, towels or lockers can be priced at more than EUR 50 (GBP 43).
The change has sparked anger among both tourists and locals. Hotels have been accused of reserving large blocks of front-row loungers through the app, keeping them aside for their own guests and leaving casual visitors with little choice but to sit further back.
One visitor to Alcudia, named only as Mayra A., said she was ordered off an apparently empty lounger while at the beach with her 80-year-old mother and had to walk for more than half an hour before finding another available set further away.
Critics say the “digital towel” system makes spontaneous trips to the beach almost impossible and undermines the idea of Mallorca’s public beaches being open to everyone.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency: Newsflash
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