Tourists in Plaça Major in Palma, Mallorca

Tourists in Palma's Plaça Major. | Jaume Morey

Andrew EdePalma08/11/2024 17:20
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On Friday, the Sustainable Tourism Tax Commission met to approve the funding of projects with the tax revenue. A total of 377 million euros will be spent on 79 projects, only part of this amount coming from this year's revenue (around 140 million). There will be multi-year projects up to 2028 that will draw on future revenue.

One item of spend in 2025 will be ten million euros for the ongoing fight against illegal holiday rentals. The island councils will use this money in order to increase the numbers of inspectors and to enhance the technologies that are used. Describing the illegal supply as "one of the great scourges" in the Balearics, tourism minister Jaume Bauzá said that the ten million would go on the "first phase" of a strategy to use tourist tax revenue for combating illegal letting. The intention is to increase funding in the coming years.

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This ten million is part of a total of 25 million for responsible tourism projects. 15 million will be for security and awareness-raising in three of the four municipalities covered by the responsible tourism decree - Calvia (Magaluf), Palma (Playa de Palma) and Sant Antoni in Ibiza; Llucmajor (Arenal) didn't present a project.

The largest slice of the 377 million will be for environmental projects and those related to the water cycle - 247 million euros.

The commission comprises representatives from the government, island councils, town halls, business, unions, environmentalists, heritage, agriculture and the university. Environmentalists GOB voted against the spending proposals and there were three abstentions - the Confederation of Balearic Business Associations, the Council of Menorca and the UGT union.