Magaluf looks empty as Brits ‘shun hols hotspot because they are tired of being demonised' while resort cleans up image
MAGALUF is looking unusually bare as Brits shunned the popular holiday spot after feeling "tired of being demonised".
Dozens of beach sunbeds lay empty as the usual UK party-animals were nowhere to be seen - opting to spend their time in Benidorm instead.
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Figures published last week showed Benidorm's leading visitors were Brits and its average hotel occupancy rate had reached almost 85 per cent in May.
Meanwhile, pictures of the Spanish resort showed deserted beaches and empty restaurants - a steep contrast to what was once described as a "lawless party" hub.
Deck chairs that would previously have been filled with boozing Brits sat empty, whilst Magaluf's once crowd-stricken streets appeared decidedly desolate.
The barren resort is a positive change for many locals, who despaired at the "touristification" of their town.
They're welcoming instead a new wave of tourists hailing from different European countries, which they hope will clean up the resort's image.
Nightclub boss, Migue Perez-Masra, told local press that Playa de Palma, near the Majorcan capital, has seen a sharp increase in German tourists.
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He claimed young Brits are turning their backs on Magaluf after feeling 'demonized" by locals.
The area is now seeing more and more French and Italian visitors too.
Attempts to clean up the resort's image come as Magaluf was branded a lawless party resort after a shocking sex video emerged in June 2014 showing a British tourist performing sex acts on 24 men in a bar.
The 18-year-old at the centre of the viral footage was reportedly duped into performing the sex acts for what she thought was a free break that turned out to be a cocktail named 'Holiday'.
At the time, Spanish politician Jose Ramon Bauza, branded Punta Ballena - Magaluf's strip - as '500 metres of shame'.
Anti-tourist mob attacks holidaymakers with water guns as they vow Spain faces 'long hot summer' of protest carnage
The bar was ordered to close for a year whilst authorities cracked the whip on unruly behaviour.
Fines of up to £50,000 were introduced for holidaymakers caught leaping off their hotel balconies, whilst limits were set on the amount of alcohol served at all-inclusive hotels.
Further restrictions in Spanish party resorts were introduced last year.
In parts of Majorca and Ibiza, tourists can be fined up to £1,300 for drinking on the streets and shops are now only allowed to sell alcohol at certain times.
Britain's then-Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott urged holidaymakers in the Majorcan party resort to 'show responsibility' and remember they were "guests" in Spain.
This Sunday anti-tourism protestors will stage another demonstration in the Majorcan capital Palma.
The demo has been organised by activist organisation Menys Turisme, Mes Vida, with 60 groups already pledging to take part.
Protestors from other cities including Barcelona and San Sebastian will also take to a streets as part of co-ordinated events.
A Menys Turisme, Mes Vida spokesman said last week: 'We will demonstrate for the right to a decent life and to demand the brakes are put on the touristification of this island.'
Anti-tourist sentiment is on the rise across the world - not just in Europe.
In Indonesia, Bali has announced a raft of rules including a swearing ban - enforced by a police force dedicated to cracking down on troublemakers.
The new guidelines advise that foreign tourists 'should observe and honour Balinese customs, traditions, and cultural practices, especially during ceremonies.'
They note tourists should also 'dress appropriately when visiting temples, tourist attractions, or public spaces.'
Bali has further imposed a tourist tax of 150,000 IDR (under £8).
Thailand is similarly introducing a 300-baht (under £7) tourism tax, which will come into force as of May 1.
In Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, tourists are restricted to marked trails and must visit protected areas with a certified guide to help preserve this natural treasure.
Since August 2024, tourists at the Galapagos must pay an increased entry tax of $200 (£155).
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Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
My trip inside ‘world Voodoo capital' that's become dark holiday hotspot for Brits who flock to watch grisly sacrifices
Daredevil tourist recalls his chilling visit to the Temple of Pythons where dozens of deadly snakes slither around worshippers LAND OF THE DEAD My trip inside 'world Voodoo capital' that's become dark holiday hotspot for Brits who flock to watch grisly sacrifices Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MASKED goblin figure chases two unsuspecting tourists along the busy streets, shrouded in a long multicoloured cloak. A few feet away, a priest carries a goat, preparing to sacrifice its blood to Voodoo gods and share its meat with other believers. 15 A Zangbeto 'goblin' guardian' chases tourists in the world's 'Voodoo capital' Credit: Kennedy News and Media 15 An altar appears to be covered in the blood of a sacrificed animal Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 Voodoo dolls are used to cast love spells Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 Brit tourist Keiran Brown poses with a snake around his neck after his visit to the Temple of Pythons Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Welcome to the Voodoo capital of the world: Ouidah, in Benin, West Africa. Here the 'goblin' guardians, known as the Zangbeto, roam the streets wielding wooden swords - ready to ward off evil in both the human and spirit world. Visitors flock to the tiny city, which has a population of 162,000, to witness sacrificial rituals and buy artefacts that are believed to bring good fortune, such as the heads of dogs and other animals. Despite its lack of attention in most mainstream holiday brochures, 337,000 tourists are reported to have visited Benin in 2019 and the numbers are believed to be growing. These so-called 'dark tourists' include Brits like Viktor Wynd - owner of London-based tour company Gone With the Wynd, who takes up to three tours a year - and Kieran Brown, an ex-barman turned TikTok travel influencer. Benin, for its part, is happy to welcome intrigued visitors, with priests charging for their guidance and private rituals, and public festivals and Voodoo events charging admission fees. Kieran, 30, from Sidcup, Kent, visited the country during his tour along Africa's coastline and recalls his nerve-racking encounters at local landmarks including the Temple of Pythons. Inside a sealed room at a religious sanctuary, locals worship snakes instead of fearing them, and Kieran encountered dozens of the creatures slithering around. Snakes are said to represent the Voodoo god Da, who is believed to bring fertility and life to its worshippers. The priest even put one around Kieran's neck but insisted the potentially deadly pythons do not hurt humans. Inside the Voodoo capital of the world where masked 'goblins' chase tourists and dogs' heads are displayed on spikes Kieran tells The Sun: "There was a thick door, the guy opened it, and there were around 60 to 70 pythons. "He put them around our neck and they seemed pretty chilled. "I didn't feel any energy and I don't believe in that but the people in the town are heavy believers. "That's the most popular religion in that side of the world, there is more Voodoo than Christianity." 'Land of the dead' It's thought 60million people around the world practice Voodoo, which is believed to have originated in Ouidah and where around 60 per cent are said to be followers. Voodoo - known traditionally as Vodoun, or Vodún - was officially declared a religion in Benin in 1996, and the annual festival, on January 10, attracts worshippers from all over the globe. Followers believe spirits control both the human world and the 'land of the dead', with different deities relied on to protect everything from villages to trees and rivers. They not only worship them from small shrines in their homes but they also attend public and private rituals led by community priests, who can be male or female. Voodoo dolls are sold at markets and sellers even claim the infamous figurines are able to make people fall in love with you. Snakes are worshipped as gods and animal sacrifice - including that of dogs - is commonplace and is often part of Voodoo initiation ceremonies. Dark arts During his visit, Kieran also recalls his encounter with one of the striking Zangbeto. These oddly dressed, masked figures act as the unofficial police on the streets of Ouidah, and are believed to keep residents and the religion's witches and spirits in line. Their name itself comes from 'zan', meaning night, and 'gbeto' that refers to person or people - so translates to 'people of the night', although they now appear in daylight hours as well. Kieran said: "When we were there we were walking around and there was a man dressed up as a Zangbeto and people were trying to get close to him and he chased people. 15 Voodoo dolls on sale in the city of Ouidah Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 Masks and preserved animal parts are sold on the street Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 The Voudoum festival takes place every January "We were walking through a street and he saw us. Because we were the only white people we stood out. "It was a man dressed up like a goblin, he had a thick mask on. "I can't explain it but he was dressed like a monster, people were running away when it came close. "People were trying to annoy it by running towards it and eventually it would snap and start chasing you, it seemed to be like a game, everyone was chanting." Temple of Pythons Ouidah is home to the religion's Mecca, The Sacred Forest, where trees are considered holy and capable of granting wishes. Due to the rituals of spells and sacrifices, parallels have been drawn to witchcraft, which was greatly feared in 13th to 15th century Britain and led to the execution of those accused of practising it. However, Voodoo is now recognised as a protected religious belief in Britain under the Equality Act 2010. And expert Viktor explains that Voodoo remains an everyday feature throughout Benin - visible on the streets and with most people's homes featuring aspects of the religion. 15 A statue representing past kings in the town of Ouidah Credit: AFP 15 Snakes are worshipped in the Temple of Pythons Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 A Voodoo priest rides a cow before the animal is sacrificed Credit: AFP Viktor, who is also a Voodoo artefact collector and runs The Viktor Wynd Museum in Hackney, East London, said: "Wherever you go in Benin, everyone has a Voodoo altar and everyone goes to the Voodoo priests. "Each person has one main Voodoo spirit that they serve. "People dressed as Zangbeto do these dances to regulate the spirit world and the world of the living. They're intermediaries with the other world. "There's always something happening so a few weeks before we go we'll WhatsApp the priests and get all sorts of interesting invitations. "There's Voodoo in the Caribbean and it's very underground but in Benin it takes centre stage. That's why people find it so interesting. "It's fought back against the dominance of Muslims and Christians, who have marginalised the religion in other parts of the world." Dark side of religion While tourists in Benin are offered goat meat and trinkets with animal heads, over the years Voodoo sacrifices have been linked to much darker occurrences across the world. Notoriously, in 2001, a young African boy's torso was found in the River Thames in London. His head, arms and legs had been removed. Police investigators at the time believed that the killing was part of a Voodoo ritual. It's believed the body part may have been in the water for up to ten days and tests showed he lived in West Africa shortly before his death. Police believe he was trafficked to the UK, specifically for the purpose of a sacrifice. One factor that linked the torso to Voodoo was it had been carefully dressed in bright orange shorts before being dumped. Police eventually discovered that the colour was seen as powerful and used in specific sacrificial spells by those who practised Voodoo. However, due to the state of the body when it was found and cops facing a wall of silence during their investigation, the mystery remains unsolved. While Benin is credited as being the origin of Voodoo, it has spread to neighbouring countries such as Nigeria, Togo and even the Caribbean. In Togo, Kieran visited the world's biggest Voodoo market, where he found skulls of various animals - including dogs. The traveller spoke to the local Witch Doctor, who said each skull has different properties and are often prescribed to cure illnesses. Kieran said: "That region of the world in particular, I went to the world's biggest Voodoo market in Toga, where you can buy every type of animal skull. "It was a bit creepy, we were walking and there was every skull you can buy. "We spoke to the Witch Doctor, he explained it's normal in this culture. When I posted a video people were horrified but they could be horrified with some of the things in Western culture. "There were Voodoo dolls and spells, he said it is possible to make another person fall in love with you, but I didn't believe it." 15 A Voodoo shrine in Benin Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 Another Zangbeto in the streets of the city Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 15 The market sells macabre charms, skulls and animal skins Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Goat slaughter Every year on January 10 the Vodoun (Voodoo) Festival is celebrated across Benin and especially in the city of Ouidah, where practitioners gather to honour their spirits with sacrifices, dancing and singing. The festival begins with the slaughter of a goat to honour the religion's spirits. The blood is used as an offering to the spirits and the animals - such as chickens, goats, sheep and cows - are then cooked and shared amongst the worshippers. Despite experiencing the 'creepiness' of the voodoo market and rituals, Kieran would recommend Voodoo tourism to Brits who want to explore that part of the world. Meanwhile, Viktor is keen to share his passion for the area and religion with the world and invites those who are intrigued to his museum and to join his unorthodox holiday tours. 15 Viktor Wynd is a collector of Voodoo paraphernalia Credit: Gone With The Wynd
BreakingNews.ie
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Ryanair introduces €500 fines for disruptive passengers
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Scammers tried to convince me they had porn of me – I knew it wasn't true but I almost paid them
MY phone pings and an email lands in my inbox. As I open it, my heart starts racing and my hands are shaking: I'm being blackmailed. "Your system has been hacked with a trojan virus," the email says. "It has penetrated your device through adult portals which you sometimes visit. 2 2 "I've already made a screen recording. "A video was edited with a pornographic movie that you were watching at that time and masturbating." I had no idea I was being targeted by a fraudster as part of a sextortion scam. This is when criminals threaten to share sexual pictures or videos of you unless you pay them money. It's a terrifying experience, and worryingly, these scams are on the rise. Action Fraud released an urgent warning to the public in March about this fraud, when it received over 2,924 reports - a huge increase from 133 reports just the month before. 'Complete control' over my phone I got the email on a Sunday evening last September. I didn't recognise the email address, and had never spoken to the sender. The scammer told me that they had "complete control" over my device, and all my personal information had been copied. They told me that they could send the compromising video of me to my email contacts, and through my social media channels. I was told that all I needed to do to make the problem go away, and for no one to bother me again, was to send $1,400 (£1,035) to a Bitcoin wallet. I was given two days to send the money over - or all of my data and videos would become publicly available. I was told that going to the police was useless, as their email and Bitcoin wallet could not be tracked. Changing my passwords would be useless, because the data was already saved on their server. "The timer starts immediately," the email read. "Everyone will learn about your passion for the porn sites and more. "Don't forget that reputation is very important and be prudent!" How I spotted the red flags Terrified of any compromising images of me being leaked for everyone to see, I nearly handed over the money. But luckily I didn't - as I managed to spot a few red flags in the email that were suspicious. Despite the scammer claiming to know so much sensitive information about me, they never addressed me by name in the email. I thought this was weird, and reminded me of the "spray and pray" tactics scammers may use when targeting victims. This is where a fraudster will email the same generic message out to many people, in the hope that someone will fall for it. The email was trying to force me to act quickly and send over money. This is a classic pressure tactic that scammers use to bully you into handing over cash. The scammer said that malicious software had been installed on my device. The tell-tale signs of this happening are that apps on your phone keep crashing, strange pop-ups appear, and the battery life shrinks. But my phone was running normally - so I started to doubt if the threats were true. I also went on the National Cyber Security Centre's website to read more about sextortion scams, and discovered that fraudsters will often ask to be paid in Bitcoin - like my scammer. And besides, I don't watch these sorts of videos - so why had the scammer said I accessed porn sites? I ignored the email and blocked the email address - but what I should have done in hindsight was report it to the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact your local force by calling 101 to report the scam. I also should have forwarded the email to report@ so the incident could be logged at the National Cyber Security Centre. At the time, I was just relieved that I wasn't being scammed. How to protect yourself against sextortion scams SEXTORTION scams can be scary - but there are ways to protect yourself against losing your money. Richard Daniels, director of fraud at TSB, has shared his tips on the best way to protect yourself. He said: "Lucy's case shows the panic and emotional impact that criminals can cause by using these cruel threats. "If you ever receive a demand for payment, stop all contact, even if threats continue. "Block the individual on all platforms and don't pay – as payment can simply lead to further demands for money. "If you have sent money or images to a criminal, then report this to the police and your bank – and remember, support comes with no judgement, sextortion is a crime. "Notify the app or platform where the fraud occured. "Keep evidence, don't delete – this helps the police to investigate your case. "Make sure to set your privacy settings to the highest level on your social media and messaging accounts. "This is so people can't contact you or collect personal information about you - it's surprising how much we share on our accounts."
