It is a year since elections returned the Partido Popular to power in the Balearics. The presidency of Marga Prohens has been marked by similar issues to those that faced Francina Armengol. Two of these - the housing crisis and tourist overcrowding - seem only to have intensified over the past twelve months. They were reasons for an estimated 10,000 people having demonstrated in Palma on Saturday.
Prohens rejects the idea that the PP have performed a sudden about-turn on overcrowding.
"We had realised this before and that is why we proposed measures in our electoral programme. Maybe it's that we are being listened to more, now that we are in government. We are at a turning point and we need data, not perceptions. We could pursue a transformation of the tourism model alone, with the legitimacy of the ballot box, but it is important that civil society participates in the listening process.
"Tourism must be managed so that it once again translates into well-being for residents. Over the last 15 years, this region has lost GDP per capita, and tourism success does not translate into well-being for the citizens. We are growing only in volume. It is now time to make this turn, even if we are late. Over the previous eight years there had been growth of 115,000 accommodation places and illegal supply has intensified in various ways.
"We have to change the paradigm and stop thinking about more or less. The volume model has come to an end: you cannot grow more in volume, but in value. The model of growing in volume has reached its limit."
President Prohens and the Balearic tourism minister, Jaume Bauzá, have regularly referred to the increase of 115,000 beds during the eight years of the Armengol administrations. But should there not be shared political responsibility? The 2012 tourism law introduced by a PP minister, Carlos Delgado, permitted floors to be added to hotels. Did this not encourage greater numbers?
The president insists that this was at a time when the situation was different. "There was no talk of saturation. Furthermore, the law facilitated greater private investment in transforming hotels in terms of quality and sustainability. The responsibility for the 115,000 places lies with whoever created them, with the aggravating factor that the infrastructure did not adapt to this growth: wastewater treatment plants, park and ride facilities, accesses to Palma, the secondary road network, public transport .. everything."
Without specifying the responsibility, it is commonly understood to refer to a liberalisation of holiday letting introduced by a Més minister for tourism, Biel Barceló. It might also be noted that Barceló could have declined an extension to provisions of the Delgado law as they applied to hotel modernisation. This was optional and stayed in place until 2017.
Last Wednesday, Prohens presided over the first meeting of what she hopes will be grand social pact for the transformation of the tourism model. It has been suggested that there should be a similar pact for housing. She accepts that this could be an approach.
"It is not problem that can be fixed in one year or during this term of office. There were eight years of anti-housing policy, with skyrocketing prices and interventionist measures that have not worked.
"We have lowered taxes such as those on property transfers and inheritances. This has already benefited many families. We have approved a decree of urgent measures that has already activated 700 housing projects and we are finalising the transfer of public land (from town halls) so that developers can create housing for rent. In addition, there is the Safe Rental programme for empty homes and at affordable prices.
"I am not going to limit rent prices. In Catalonia (where price limits have been introduced), the supply of properties to rent has become limited, while illegal supply is growing. This plan has failed in Catalonia, as has the same sort of plan in Berlin."
In general terms on housing: "Much more will be needed, especially with regard to simplifying procedures."
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All by design to wind everyone up! Stir up unrest and hatred, divide and conquer! Its happening the world over - same playbook - yawn! It really cannot be so difficult to cap the amount of airline arrivals. Once again greed cannot resist the extra dosh!
'Prohens rejects the idea that the PP have performed a sudden about-turn on overcrowding.' The PP were against limits on cruise ships and were in favour of building more hotels. And now suddenly they're saying the opposite. So how is that not an 'about-turn'. Typical politicians trying to argue that black is not black it's actually white.
Chris G"It is unacceptable to just say we need more data! Why??" The reason is that this "phenomenon" needs to be studied. There's some places that are heavily saturated (e.g., Soller) and places that are still rather comfortably enjoying the benefits of tourism - these places are only in the past few years begun to benefit from it. Also, this is something that is complex and nuanced, and the solution isn't simply "stop tourism" or "stop foreigners". That may be what some people want, but that has all kinds of political and economic peril and isn't likely to happen. Besides, it's being driven by a minority of locals who are really more dissatisfied with the paltry salaries that fall short of paying for the cost of living (which, by the way, is only partially caused by tourism or foreigners, but to know the extent, we need data). Then there's the other blunt instruments - cutting the number of hotel rooms and private lets? really? where? So shall we mandate that all hotels need to cut the number of rooms by say, 30%? Including those lovely boutique hotels in the campo that attract desirable tourists that don't drink themselves into oblivion in Magaluf and Playa de Palma? The same applies to villas and fincas - they aren't particularly attractive to mass tourism - they aren't the cause of this. But let's penalise them anyway. So, it's important to get the facts before using a chainsaw to perform brain surgery, which would be even more irresponsible. Subsidised housing? OK, let's cut our tax base considerably to satisfy a minority of voters, then invest money we no longer have to give them inexpensive housing to live in. Another not-well-thought-through strategy. Maybe it would be better to find ways to fund that first, and perhaps find ways to get more money in the hands of struggling locals (something extracted from tourism perhaps?)? But then, that would require investigating different approaches and would require obtaining accurate data, rather than waste it because they haven't a clue what is what or where. But we wouldn't want to go into this armed with accurate data would we? Ready. Fire. Aim.
And not one word about subsidised housing
Politicians = self interested wankers. Is anyone surprised?
Blah blah blah. And another year goes by.
This is a very one sided Bla Bla Bla the Foreign investment from people who have invested in Mallorca is Massive agree not all good however there are a lot of People living from this money not all Arenal , there are serious middle class people who love Mallorca and the people and have paid to help build a Mallorca for the future why has this been absolutly not taken into account !
Hmmm one year in power and thus government does not even have a plan to tackle these two big issues. It is unacceptable to just say we need more data! Why?? What data are they going to collect?? What is the timeframe? What will they then do with this data?? This is all just time wasting and excuses. More data will just confirm what they already know, it will lead to paralysis by analysis. Positive actions are required quickly from this government, people are losing patience and rightly so.