CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL TOURISM

The Balearic government is hoping that the tourist tax will take a back seat next week, so that attention can be focused on the “illegal” sectors of the tourist industry. Next Tuesday the Minister for Tourism, Celestí Alomar, will welcome representatives from the International Federation of Tour Operators to Palma, on a fact-finding mission to learn what the Balearic authorities have done, and are doing, about the illegal faction of the market. As far as the government, Ministry for Tourism and the International Federation are concerened, “illegal” tourism refers to any building or establishment without a licence from the Ministry for Tourism, offering accomodation to holiday makers. Over the past two summers a number of serious cases forced the local authorities to play their cards and take effective action in order to outlaw the illegal sections of the industry. Last December, Alomar explained yesterday, a major “offensive” was launched and during the course of this year all establishments in the Balearics offering accommodation, be they hotels, apartments blocks or private villas will be inspected with the aim of having removed the illegal sector form the tourist market by next year. The Balearic Minister for Tourism also intends to air his concerns about the large number of holidaymakers being steered towards the property sector during their holidays, and Alomar believes that the tour operators will be able to help in preventiung their clients from falling victim to the housing market.