Vacation on Mallorca 2020: "There's nothing left of Ballermann here"

The streets of Mallorca's best-known holiday region are still unusually quiet. No splashing of pools, no subliminal humming of huge air conditioning systems, instead the soundtrack of the corona crisis: loud birdsong. The glass doors of the large hotel complexes are still covered with towels, and the deckchairs are stacked in the gardens. Only at the very front, a cross street behind the famous Playa de Palma, is something happening.

In front of the Hotel Riu Concordia, a handful of journalists are waiting for the arrival of the second batch of holidaymakers who are to test what a holiday in times of Covid-19 can look like as part of the pilot project of the Balearic Government. The press lineup is nothing compared to the spectacle with which the first German tourists of the plane from Düsseldorf were received on Monday morning: Passengers arriving from Frankfurt in the early evening can cover the sidewalk between the bus and hotel steps relatively undisturbed.

Guests are only allowed to go to the reception individually

A snake still forms. Guests are only allowed to go to the reception one by one, where each time the temperature is measured again using a thermal imaging camera. The plump receptionist tries jokingly to keep the mood relaxed. "Welcome, you look healthy – yes, you also look healthy, but not as beautiful as your wife", can be heard in German colored in Spanish. The vacationers take it with a thankful smile.

Olaf Gruß is also waiting in line. The football and Mallorca fan usually comes to Arenal during the big football tournaments to watch the games from here. Normally, he would have been here for a few days and would have enjoyed the first games of the EM now postponed to 2021. But nothing is normal these days: "Ballermann has nothing here anymore," judges the experienced Playa de Palma visitor.

Mask, card payment, forms: "Almost as exciting as the fall of the Berlin Wall"

Flying with a mask, cashless payments, a variety of forms to fill out and an unfamiliar obstacle course at Palma airport would have made the journey tiring, he says. Nevertheless, he does not regret participating in the test run organized by Tui and the island government: "It's nice to be one of them. It's almost as exciting as the fall of the Berlin Wall."

When the stairs in front of the hotel emptied themselves again after ten minutes, Dana Meier and Markus Fuchs set off for the car rental company. The couple from Rostock arrived in the morning. "I would have imagined everything to be more uncomfortable," says the 30-year-old, referring to the safety precautions.

They decided to hit the internet on the spur of the moment, he explains. Immediately afterwards, concerns arose, above all because of the reactions of friends and family, who judged the travel decision to be "very brave". "But after the first day you can already say that everything has been done correctly," he sums up with satisfaction.

Restaurant owners applaud incoming tourists

Luís Menor is also happy. The owner of the "Mama Muú" restaurant can be seen from afar that he is happy about the reopening of the hotel opposite. "I was there this morning to clap too," he says. After all, it was not German tourists who came – it was customers and friends who were back every year. That is why people like to adhere to the strict hygiene measures – the menu is available on the mobile phone via QR code, the cutlery has to be packed individually in plastic bags, the number of tables is significantly reduced in order to maintain the minimum distance.

Anuschka and Paul Lauterbach are starting to take a selfie on the beach promenade. The couple from Neuss has also been there since morning and has already enjoyed a beer in the sun at the hotel pool. Mouthguards and gloves are mandatory in the dining room, you should not serve yourself at the buffet, the desired dishes would be filled onto the plate by a hotel employee. "You feel a bit like a guinea pig," says Ms. Lauterbach.

The start of the test project with the Germans just under a week before the official reopening of the Spanish borders does not only cause joy in Mallorca. Many fear that the Coronavirus crisis will reignite on the island because of the visitors, said Biel Barceló, head of the citizens' initiative "Ciutat de s'Arenal". "I talk to many about it. Some need income and are happy that tourism is slowly getting going again after three months, of course. But the concern is widespread," he told the German Press Agency. "The infection rates in Germany are currently higher than ours."

No beer king, no clubs: Ballermann remains closed

However, the amusement temples of "Ballermanns" must not yet open again because the regional government has decided that discos and clubs will remain closed. This is not a problem for the Lauterbachs. "I don't need the beer king."

Just a few meters away there is an open pub that needs the king of beer very well. That is why party singer Peter Wackel did not miss the chance to personally greet the first Mallorca guests: with a bouquet of flowers he stood in front of the closed beer king, who is less than a hundred meters from the Riu Concordia, and on whose stage he usually performed mood music entertains. "I was a bit longing, normally I greet at least 500 people with a handshake at the season opening."

On Monday it was much less: around 15 loyal followers had gathered around wobbly thanks to the corresponding announcement on Facebook. He not only greeted them, but also wanted to thank them for coming to Mallorca: "It is really a matter of the heart for me to show that any fears of German guests before the Mallorca holiday are completely unjustified."

As long as his place of work remains closed, he is now returning to his roots: 20 years ago, he also whined along the beach and sang in front of the sunbathers. Above all, he will probably start his first big hit, which "has become very topical again seven years after the release": "Fuck it, Malle is only once a year …"