IT’S the infamous party resort that tried to ban so-called “t*ts and tequila” tourists after decades of rowdy Brits behaving badly in the sun.
But we can reveal that almost a decade on from Malia in Crete outlawing the 18-30s holiday, hotel bosses have staged a dramatic U-turn.
Ian WhittakerA group of young holidaymakers square up outside the club in Malia[/caption]
Ian WhittakerLads inhaling ‘hippy crack’ from balloons[/caption]
GettyIn 2017, some 95 per cent of the town’s 137 hotels banned package deals for holidaymakers aged 18 to 30[/caption]
Following an estimated 30 per cent reduction in visitors since last summer, business owners on the Greek island are more desperate than ever to have our holidaymakers back.
Marie Pajolou is the manager of the Happy Train tour company on the main drag, Dimokratias Street, where the worst of the debauchery takes place.
Marie, 50, said: “Young people want to drink alcohol and have sex and that’s normal. No one should have a problem with that.
“Yes, they get drunk and they do silly things. I don’t like to see young, half-naked girls passed out on the street at 8am — it’s not safe for them.
“There are fights, but it’s only because they are drunk. No one really wants to have a fight when they are on holiday.
“The big issue we are facing is not 18-30s holidaymakers, but the fact that tourism is 30 per cent down on last summer as everything is more expensive now.
‘Mafia selling cocaine’
“People used to come here because it was cheap and you could have a fun holiday without worrying about money, but the price of everything keeps going up.”
Marie revealed the island has suffered a big slump in recent decades, adding: “When I first started working on Crete 20 years ago, it was much better than it is now.
“The resort was packed during the summer.
“A 30 per cent fall is a big problem for us and the ones that are visiting don’t have the same budget and they are complaining about the prices.
“We need more young people coming here, not less.”
In 2017, around 95 per cent of the town’s 137 hotels banned package deals for holidaymakers aged 18 to 30, resulting in 10,000 Britons losing out.
The draconian action came as an 18-year-old girl went into a coma after inhaling nitrous oxide gas, also known as hippy crack, and 189 people, including foreigners, were arrested for possessing the substance.
Locals were worried that Malia’s already notorious reputation had spiralled following the release of the hit 2011 Inbetweeners movie.
In it, actors Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison played four lads celebrating the end of their A-levels there.
Blake’s character Neil is shown performing a lewd sex act on a much older “cougar” in a nightclub, while James’ character Jay gets so drunk, he falls asleep in an ants’ nest.
Efthymios Moutrakis, Malia’s deputy mayor, said in 2017: “Malia isn’t about sex, drugs and everything goes.
“It’s the prime tourist destination in Crete, bringing in millions of euros to the island.”
The resort’s reputation suffered another blow last year when Emily Earle, 19, a medical student at King’s College, London, claimed she “almost died” after her drink was spiked during a holiday in Malia.
But the plan to replace out-of-control British tourists with more civilised European families was quietly abandoned as visitor numbers plummeted, we can reveal.
Ian WhittakerPole dancers performing for revellers[/caption]
AlamyLocals were worried that Malia’s already notorious reputation had spiralled following the release of the hit 2011 Inbetweeners movie[/caption]
By June this year, British tourists were posting eerie TikTok videos of the main strip empty of revellers.
When we visited last week, the bars and clubs were almost deserted up until midnight, suggesting that — as locals fear — youngsters are saving money by pre-loading with supermarket booze in their hotels and apartments before heading out.
By the early hours of the morning, however, Dimokratias Street was heaving with 20-somethings and teenagers, and long queues began to form outside the half-dozen nightclubs.
In one bar, punters were being urged inside by a middle-aged man with a mullet offering two laughing gas balloons and eight free shots with the first drink, which he said would cost just six euros.
Potentially deadly nitrous oxide balloons were openly on sale at the same bar — suggesting the previous crackdown has been abandoned, along with the bid to ban “t*ts and tequila” tourists, as they were dubbed at the time.
At another venue, a scantily-clad dancer gyrated on a stage as teenage lads gawped.
Our reporter and photographer saw huge numbers of youngsters riding quad bikes — which cost ten euros a day to rent — without helmets, which is against Greek law.
One bar worker even claimed the Albanian mafia has taken root in Malia and started selling cocaine for between 60 and 100 euros a bag, although none of the tourists we spoke to said they had been offered drugs.
The only annoyance is that men will punch and tap your back to get your attention at the clubs and you have to tell them to stop
Kayla
At 2am, a huge crowd gathered to watch a gang of topless men high on adrenaline confront a group of rivals, determined to settle with their fists whatever dispute had arisen.
Thankfully, nightclub bouncers stepped in before the situation escalated.
Student Kayla White, 18, was on a £600 package holiday with pals Rachel McPhillips, Jessica Gales and Maya Millar, all also 18, and says the British are flocking back to Malia now the ban has been lifted.
Kayla, from Glasgow, revealed: “This is our second holiday here and we love it.
“The nightlife is great and it seems busier than last summer.
‘Anything can happen’
“We’ve been out until 6am most nights and, while we keep an eye on our drinks to make sure we don’t get spiked, we haven’t had any problems.
“The only annoyance is that men will punch and tap your back to get your attention at the clubs and you have to tell them to stop.”
Ian WhittakerMarie Pajolou is the manager of the Happy Train tour company on the main drag, said: ‘Young people want to drink alcohol and have sex and that’s normal. No-one should have a problem with that’[/caption]
Ian WhittakerKayla, Rachel, Jessica and Maya on hols[/caption]
Ian WhittakerMalia’s main party street during the day[/caption]
Warehouse worker Pieter de Vries, 19, was on a lads’ holiday in Malia with three friends. Pieter, from Burdaard in the Netherlands, said: “It’s definitely a crazy party place and it gets wild most nights.
“You have to have an open mind when you come here because anything can happen.
“We were in the strip club last night and my friends bought me a lapdance for 50 euros, which was fantastic.
“I’m surprised they tried to turn this into a resort for older tourists because it’s definitely all young people now. You hardly see anyone over the age of 30.”
British national Angela Wysocki works behind the bar at Ilios Malia resort, where the critically acclaimed 2023 movie How To Have Sex, about a boozy, post-exams girls’ trip that takes a dark turn, was filmed.
Director Molly Manning Walker chose the hotel after spotting that its swimming pool is shaped like a penis — a design mishap the owners insist they spotted too late.
We were in the strip club last night and my friends bought me a lapdance for 50 euros, which was fantastic
Pieter de Vries
Angela, 50, who moved to Crete 28 years ago, said: “Malia was much busier when I first came here. The season was longer and the nightlife crazier.
“It’s calmed down a lot since then, and a number of businesses have closed down, which is sad to see.
“There is one road that used to be packed with tourists, but it is now completely dead and lined with boarded-up bars and nightclubs, reflecting just how much visitor numbers are down.
“July was decent this year, but August has been quiet and the party season ends in September.
“I don’t know much about the 2017 policy, but if the plan was to bring in more tourists, it clearly hasn’t worked.”
MALIA RELIES ON US
By Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
YOU should never bite the hand that feeds you.
While the excesses of young British tourists partying were a problem, taking a sledgehammer to solve it was never going to work.
Malia has learned the hard way that trying to change its tourism model overnight was doomed to failure.
Businesses that relied on partying tourists – restaurants, bars and nightclubs – were hardly going to be able to attract families or empty nesters.
And the hotels that housed those stag and hen parties discovered older travellers were not willing to put up with the kind of low-budget accommodation the youngsters enjoyed. Changing a destination requires investment – and serious amounts of it.
And with a cost-of-living crisis and the lingering impacts of the pandemic shutdowns, that cash just isn’t there.
Towns like Malia are critically dependent on tourism.
And right now, they can’t afford to turn their backs on those who do want to visit.
But not everyone is welcoming our holidaymakers back with open arms.
Pregnant shopkeeper Maria, 38, who declined to give her last name, is among those mourning the return of the 18-30 clubbers.
She said: “Now I am expecting a baby, I worry that it’s not safe to live in Malia. Young people walk right up to my building and urinate on the front door.
“I’ve seen quad bike accidents and half-naked girls vomiting in the street, so I am certain this would be a much nicer place if we had better tourists.
“But everyone thinks of us as a party resort where you can do anything you want.
“Most business owners don’t want to change because they are profiting so much from the youngsters.”
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