The Balearic government has today unveiled its roadmap to getting a grip on tourism in the islands and tackling mass tourism. The plan includes a ban on tourist flats, the creation of a new tax on temporary rental cars and an increase in the tourist during the high tourist season, especially for cruise ships to curb the impact of tourism and tackle housing problems.
The Balearic president, Marga Prohens, today, Friday, formally presented the “tourism containment measures” and announced the opening of a round of meetings with the different political parties on the islands to seek a sufficient majority to allow her to approve her new roadmap in Parliament and bring it into force.
The regional government is proposing to ban the granting of new rental licences for tourist apartments and to raise the requirements for the renewal of existing permits.
It is increasing the penalties for illegal tourist accommodation by 25% to 500,000 euros, although offenders will be able to reduce the amount of the fine by up to 80% if they decide to use their properties for social or limited price rental.
A new tax has been created for temporary hire cars that are on the islands for less than six months a year.
Depending on their emissions and the time they are in circulation, the amount will vary between 30 and 80 euros. The government stressed that “all these measures seek to respond to the objectives established in the Transition Agenda Bases, which emerged from the working groups of the Pact for the Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability of the Balearic Islands, in which more than a hundred institutions and entities of the Autonomous Community participate with the aim of transforming the region towards sustainability and the well-being of its citizens”.
However, the centre right Partido Popular governs in a minority in the Balearics so it remains to be seen whether its partners VOX or the opposition parties are willing to endorse its plans. The government announced some time ago its intention to modify the Sustainable Tourism Tax, better known as the tourist tax, it was not until today that the changes were made clear. The tax will be lifted in January and February, during the low tourist season, buts will increase during the months of June, July and August from 1 to 2.5 euros per day at the lowest rate and from 4 to 6 euros at the highest.
Cruise ships will pay the maximum rate, rising from the 2 euros currently applied to them to 6 euros per night. In the months of May, September and October, and in the months of March, April, November and December, the rates in force to date will be maintained.
Residents of the Balearics will have to pay the tax if they stay in tourist establishments in the islands as they have done until now, but will be able to deduct up to 250 euros from the amount through their tax return. The plan presented by Prohens increases the penalties against owners and promoters of unlicensed tourist accommodation and introduces the requirement for holiday rental portals to demand the registration number of the accommodation to be marketed.
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Keep going with these swivel eyed ideas to antagonise the folks that are your main source of revenue , and people like me will simply go to other places that aren't as spit in your face , steal your wallet .
ChrisI agree with that, as always its the tough decisions that count and they are the ones the politicos run from. As for the other comments about crashing the economy, killing the goose, etc etc. I wish I had a euro for every time those old favourites come out. Mallorca is ideally situated for most of Europe. Economies go up economies go down but there are always people with enough spare cash to go on holiday. Maybe not so many in the cheap seats which gets the hoteliers squealing but they work on high volume and low percentages which is a problem in itself. In the last fifty years some years are good, some not quite so good but still they come. That is not going to change unless........... the two big things Mallorca needs to worry about though cannot control. Desertification through serious climate change or mass migration from North Africa probably brought about by the former. Residential overpopulation is another topic entirely.
This is purely extra revenue generation, it is lazy government - it will not reduce any of the over tourism issues we face. A few extra euros per day will not deter any tourists from coming. The government need to focus more on making the tough decisions, the ones that will reduce the impacts of over-tourism.
As had been said many time´s by many different groups another tax Hike well if you want to kill the golden goose go ahead the transparency and what the Tourist Tax´s are used for is one sore point amazing how fast it dissappear´s , another point is cost of living is going to turn into cost of survival country´s where there are usual stabile goverment´s is starting to become a thing of the past France is broke has been for a while Germany´s heading there Italy has also serious difficulties and have strong disagrement´s with EU policies , the days of rising tax´s and people will laugh it off are over .
If the Protesters don't destroy Mallorca, the Taxation will !!!.
How about increase the tax on the cars for the locals who are clogging up the roads morning; afternoon and evening. Another good revenue on cars.
Looks like a great way to crash their own economy and end up with mass unemployment. The instigator s of this balmy scheme haven’t yet realised that most of Northern Europe is in the middle of an economic squeeze and will be looking at better value for money places like Morocco, assuming they can still afford a holiday which many Germans for example cannot.
Nothing about banning new hotels being built - what a surprise!