Man’s speedo shorts stoke anti-tourist fury from Mallorca locals

A spectacularly oblivious man is the latest target of Spanish anti-tourist sentiment, after strolling down a busy Mallorca wearing next to nothing.

After months of protests in the Balearic Islands - including hotel hunger strikes and a wave of graffiti telling visitors ‘go home’ - the latest incident has irked the locals of Mallorca.

On Friday morning the man was spotted shopping on the high street of Palma de Mallorca, the islands’ regional capital. Wearing only green, skin-tight swimming pants, the man appeared entirely unaware. Doubly so, regarding local laws that prohibit going bare-chested in public.

Carrying only what appeared to be a towel and his phone, it seemed an especially odd outfit to go shopping for souvenirs.

“One can only wonder where he had his wallet,” wrote the English-language Majorca Daily Bulletin this weekend.

The Bulletin first ran pictures shared by a resident of nearby Llucmajor, Pedro, who saw the tourist on Calle de Jaume III.

It was especially incendiary given recent tourist bylaws targeting smoking, drinking, and inappropriate dress in public areas.

Near naked tourist goes shopping in Mallorca in nothing but his Speedos https://t.co/X8TeClZn7j via @MajorcaDaily

— Humphrey Nicholas Fox Carter (@humphrey_fox) May 10, 2024

Spanish Balearics’ new laws against problem tourists

In March, tourists were cautioned that the penalty of being spotted being inappropriate on the high street was up to €600 ($1000).

Earlier this year the British Foreign Office warned Britons abroad of the Balariacs’ new rules to tackle problem tourism.

“In some parts of Spain it’s against the law to be in the street wearing only a bikini or swimming shorts. Being bare-chested is also illegal in some areas in Spain. You may be fined if you’re caught wearing swimwear on the seafront promenade or adjacent streets,” read the updated travel advice.

As well as dress code, the extraordinary travel advice also warned that a number of British nationals had recently been involved in falls from hotel balconies, in incidents of unruly behaviour.

“In some regions you may be fined or evicted from your hotel if you are found to be behaving irresponsibly around balconies,” it advised, adding that travel insurance may not cover accidents where travellers were deemed to be irresponsible or under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

While it was not possible to ascertain if the speedo-wearing tourist’s judgment was impaired by substances, the Bulletin’s source reported that the tourist was not a British national.