Speaking at the ITB fair in Berlin, President Armengol ruled out there being any adjustment to the tourist tax. It will not be eliminated or reduced this summer. The tax, she said, is a "good instrument" for the region. Tourists, she suggested, are supportive of the islands and of the investment of tax revenue in "the environment and infrastructure". German tourists, in her opinion, "understand the tax".
Meanwhile, the Majorca Hoteliers Federation and the Association of Hotel Chains were calling for an adjustment. Gabriel Llobera, president of the association, said that "any positive action which could attract clients would be beneficial, given the context of maximum competition from destinations in the eastern Mediterranean".
The national minister for industry, trade and tourism, Reyes Maroto, declined to comment except to say that the Spanish government has no plans for a tourist tax. She noted that the Turespaña agency will be undertaking a promotional campaign in the UK and Germany.
The Council of Majorca's Cosme Bonet explained that there will be promotion directed at Nordrhein-Westfalen, a German state from which high numbers of tourists typically come to Majorca. There is an event in Düsseldorf towards the end of the month.
Meanwhile, and despite all the apparently dire warnings, the government and German tour operators appeared to agree that the number of German tourists in the Balearics will be very similar to last year.
