Tourist tax

I think if tourists can clearly see how their money is being spent there will be few problems and in the majority of cases the money is being spent on improvements to holiday destinations. Plans by the Balearic government to double the rate of the tourist tax for 2018 have drawn fire from hoteliers and even some political parties. There are fears that the drop in the value of sterling against the euro and the increased tourist tax will mean that British tourists could go elsewhere, especially the cheaper competing resorts in the eastern Mediterranean. But I don’t think so.

The British love affair with Majorca clearly continues and I do not think that a few more euros of tourist tax will mean that they will be searching for alternative holiday destinations which may be cheaper. The Balearic government must continue to explain how the money is being spent and underline the projects which are benefiting. It must be remembered that many holiday destinations across Europe now have a tourist tax and it is a trend that I suspect will continue in the future. The tourist tax is controversial but it does appear that the money is being well spent.