A few days ago, the Balearic Government's vice-president, Antoni Costa, said there would be a delay in proposing measures for tourism "containment" while the government considered the findings of the report of the sustainability pact working parties. In light of the report, Costa stated, the government would be looking at "more ambitious" proposals than those it had been thinking of.
The measures were outlined on Friday, and the response from the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation was that they were not ambitious enough where holiday rentals are concerned. The federation's president, Javier Vich, said: "The real courage lies in the non-renewal of this type of licences." Difficulties with access to housing, he argued, are a compelling reason for "these authorisations to disappear and residential use to be restored".
While the government once more expressed a commitment to eradicating illegal holiday lets - fines are set to go up - its intended measures regarding the legal supply are to "prohibit" new apartment lets and to raise quality requirements for existing registered apartments; the government hasn't explained what these requirements will be.
Vich accused the government of a lack of ambition, observing that not allowing more accommodation places in apartment buildings "does not represent any plus". "If this decision had been taken some time ago it would have prevented the growth of 92,000 places".
Otherwise, Vich once again expressed the federation's opposition to a proposed increase in tourist tax rates for high summer (June to August). This would, for example, see the top rate (for four-star superior and five-star accommodation) increase from four euros per person per night to six euros.
The Habtur holiday rentals association has meanwhile offered a more positive assessment. The exchange of accommodation places between individuals, which has been on hold, is to be reactivated. The Confederation of Balearic Business Associations agrees with the hoteliers' views on holiday rentals. "We have asked on numerous occasions for the prohibition of holiday rentals in apartments."
The strongest criticism of measures announced on Friday has come from the Baleval association of car-hire firms. It has described the new tax on hire cars as "a discriminatory and purely revenue-generating measure".
The government does now have to seek support from political parties in parliament, and that is not going to be straightforward. The Partido Popular cannot rely on backing from Vox, while parties on the left will be pressing for greater ambition in respect of, for instance, holiday rentals and a higher tourist tax.
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PepeI did a quick Google search for anything resembling an official government statistic and found some GOIB data from 2020 saying that there were 7000+ licences issued but only about 5000 of them were actively trading. New licences have no longer been issued since then. But... Here's an MDB article from 2023 that cited an office of national statistics figure of 25393 licences. Big difference from 5000... but still a mere fraction of hotel rooms. And while one might assume that if one has a licence, then surely they're actively trading, but running that business legally is a lot of work, it's costly, heavily taxed, and very difficult to run passively... So many with licences just don't bother. Too much hassle.
It is painful and embarrassing how the hotelier’s unashamedly use the overcrowding and affordable housing arguments for their own agenda. Even though it is blatantly obvious that all they care about is their own business and pockets. Their lobby and friends&family in the government ultimately will prove too powerful.
PepeIt is an official government figure - but it's either a guess or a lie.
The hotels have called the shots at least the last 20 years, constantly complaining to the government how unfair they claim to have been treated, and 20 years later they are still moaning..I wish the government could show some strength to resist their calls all the time.
It's going to be an interesting summer - big protests coming.
Morgan WilliamsIm not sure how or where you got that 5000 Figure from and we don´t agree that holiday lets are the root of the problem , All good .
Mallorca is being f@*ked over by the hotels. It’s obvious and painful to witness. Meanwhile us small fry get shat upon for trying to survive.
Ok, so there's 308,000 hotel rooms in Mallorca, and about 5000 legal holiday lets. So, surely "overcrowding" is caused by "holiday lets". Right, then.
The Hotel´s in Mallorca just really want a situation where everyone has to stay in a HOTEL and that´s it end of story and they will do what ever it take´s to ensure that is the way it work´s as long as that is the situation there will continue to have new hotels being built , this whole subject has become way to political and is no longer based on Hard Fact´s just hay here the latest news and there loving the Hate tourist campaign´s playing right into the hotel's hand ´s ya see there panicking now because there's going to be a Tourist Downturn and that has them very Nervous .