During her presentation on the first day of parliament's general policy debate, President Armengol announced that the government is to allocate ten million euros to buy "low-category" hotels and establishments in Mallorca and Ibiza. The government will buy them and close them down, the intention being to "regenerate" parts of the two islands.
"It is evident that there is overcrowding at certain times of the year and that the number of tourist accommodation places can be reduced in volume without affecting employment or social cohesion," stated the president in reference to the Balearic tourism law's freeze on new places.
She went on to say that the purchase of obsolete tourist businesses is a measure "with which the government wants to set an example to follow".
"We have to promote a model that can simultaneously generate prosperity, employment and opportunities and do so by protecting land and natural resource capacity that is incompatible with excessive tourist pressure."
The president didn't elaborate on the plan (the mechanics of it, for example) other than to refer to these low-category businesses in terms of "tourism of excess". The government does have the idea to convert obsolete hotels into residential accommodation (some of it of a social housing character), a policy measure that one opposition party, El Pi, has been pressing for.
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Martyn WhiteThey mean close them down as hotels not just board them up! “The government does have the idea to convert obsolete hotels into residential accommodation (some of it of a social housing character)…”
CLOSE THEM DOWN ? Do the government not realise there is a lack of affordable housing for local people ,police, nurses etc ? Wouldn't it make better sense to change the use to low rent accomodation thus generating work for local tradesmen & then afterwards accommodation for locals ??