Uber lands in Mallorca with a fleet of 40 vehicles in June 2023. | R.L.

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Uber and Airbnb share some similarities, the share perhaps being the key, both having emerged from the movement towards the so-called sharing economy. They both have their fans and their critics, numbered among whom are the island’s hoteliers. Although they accept the presence of a holiday rental sector (a legitimate one), the hoteliers aren’t fans of Airbnb as it has become synonymous with tourist saturation. Legal and illegal letting, aided by Airbnb (and others), has contributed to the overcrowding in addition to housing problems, so the hoteliers argue (and correctly so).

Where Uber is concerned, the hoteliers are fans. But does this smack of a certain hypocrisy? Critical of a disruptive influence on the one hand, yet supportive of a disruptor on the other. Does this difference owe anything to the fact that one disruptor encroaches on accommodation territory while the other does not?

The hoteliers are also portrayed as critics of a Partido Popular Balearic government which bears similarities with its predecessor in defending taxi interests and wishing to at least limit the number of Uber licences. Hypocritical and critical.

But the hoteliers do have a point when it comes to mobility. They have no beef with the taxis but with the availability and flexibility of transport. The number of taxis licensed by town halls has failed to keep pace with the increases in the resident population and the floating (tourist) population. Hotels regularly receive complaints about taxi services. Uber is one of various solutions to improving transport.

But to follow a hotelier logic, is Uber a solution to a problem generated (in part) by Airbnb?
That of the saturation caused by a holiday let boom of recent years. The fact is, and the hoteliers are as aware of this as anyone, there are times when there are simply too many people on this island and too many vehicles.