Irish holidaymakers who fell from Spanish balconies mocked by anti-tourism group

An online group is mocking tourists hurt or killed in balcony falls in Spain.

The Balconing Balearic Federation, or Federació Balear de Balconing, has set up a sick social media page featuring tables of the 'Balcony League'. The league tallies the number of deaths and injuries linked to each country, including Ireland. They use football terminology such as "hat trick" to disrespectfully refer to deceased tourists, including Irish holidaymakers who have lost their lives on the Balearic Islands, reports the Irish Mirror.

The UK is at the top of this chart, followed by Germany, Spain, Italy and France. Ireland ranks sixth on the list, ahead of The Netherlands, Austria, Argentina and Sweden.

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The group's bio describes them as "Darwinistically tourist-phobic", and focuses on incidents in the Balearic Islands, a popular location for the dangerous trend known as 'balconing'. This dangerous fad involves participants jumping into a swimming pool from a balcony or climbing from one balcony to another.

According to their chart, since 1999, three deaths and seven injuries have occurred among Irish people. This is in contrast to the 42 deaths of UK tourists on the Balearic Islands from balcony incidents.

In 2022, a 20 year old Irish tourist was rushed to hospital with severe head injuries after falling from a hotel in the Majorcan party hotspot of Santa Ponsa. That same year, a 50 year old Irish holidaymaker was also taken to hospital following a fall from a second-floor apartment in the same resort.

Back in 2020, a tragic incident saw a 33 year old Irish man lose his life after falling from an eighth-floor flat in Magaluf. In 2018, an Irish teenager was hospitalised in Majorca after a fall from the second-floor balcony of a holiday apartment.

Just months prior to this, a 20 year old Irish man tragically died after falling from a Magaluf apartment block. Earlier in 2018, another Irish man was taken to hospital with severe head injuries after a fall from a hotel balcony in the Algarve resort of Albufeira.

Later that year, a 19 year old tourist suffered serious injuries after falling from either the fourth or fifth floor of a hotel in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca.

Also in 2018, an Irish holidaymaker was fined for balcony-jumping in the Magaluf area while recuperating in hospital.

In 2017, an Irish man was left in a critical condition after falling from a hotel's first-floor balcony on the party island of Ibiza. Meanwhile, in 2016, a 22 year old Irish woman tragically fell to her death from a balcony in Tenerife.

As the summer holidays approach, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned Irish tourists of the potential risks associated with balconies, urging holidaymakers to exercise caution when using them.

"There have been a number of serious accidents in recent years involving falls from balconies," A spokesperson for the DFA said.

"Several of these have resulted in the death or serious injury of an Irish citizen. It is important to exercise caution when using hotel and apartment balconies, particularly if you have consumed alcohol or drugs, and to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

"If you suffer a balcony fall while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your insurance company may refuse to cover any resultant costs.

"You should also be aware that the Spanish authorities may impose fines on those engaged in risky behaviour on balconies, including climbing over them or jumping from them."

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