Related news: Mallorca tourism is being used as "a punchbag"

Javier Vich is the president of the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation. At the recent ITB tourism fair in Berlin, he created something of a stir by insisting that Mallorca was not overcrowded and that, where overcrowding existed, this was confined to "four streets in Palma".

Vich admits that the hotel industry in Mallorca is "an easy target" and that it was therefore easy for reports to focus on one thing - that the island was not overcrowded. "What I really meant to say was that the island isn't overcrowded or subject to collapse across the board throughout the year ." He points out that there are obviously busy areas, e.g. Es Trenc, Caló des Moro, Sa Calobra, Formentor, Soller and downtown Palma. But if you ask me if Peguera or Santa Ponsa are overcrowded, the answer is no. And the same goes for Cala Millor, Cala d'Or, Playa de Muro.

"We know that Palma has a problem in certain areas, and perhaps it is more than four streets. But there are neighbourhoods in Palma that don't have any problems. That's why there is always a focus on the old town and certain months of the year, on cruise ship days. These are specific aspects, but the week before the ITB fair the political debate was about collapse. And this was talk regarding a region (the Balearics) where tourism generates 52% of GDP - 22.4 billion euros."

As far as the protests against tourism are concerned, Vich is of the view that people started to get angry because of holiday lets in apartments.

"Tourists had invaded a space that was designed to be residential. When uses are mixed, what's happening now happens. The facts are on the table. Since 2015, registered holiday rentals have grown by 115,000 places (beds) ; the number of illegal ones is unknown. The hotel sector underwent an unprecedented restructuring with an investment of three billion euros to increase supply. Since 2015, it has grown by 23,000 places - six per cent, whereas holiday rentals have gone up 176%, plus the illegal ones. The hotel sector's responsibility to grow in value rather than volume has been undermined by the excessive increase in holiday rentals, which is the heart of the problem.

"We have four major challenges in the Balearics: demographics, housing, infrastructure, and mobility. Issues with these are used to attack tourism, turning it into a punchbag . It is urgent that we stop the demagogic narratives that endanger tourism. The Balearic population has grown by 42% in the last 25 years. Over the same period, growth across Spain as a whole has been 21%. We are facing an unprecedented housing crisis due to inaction or the lack of housing policies over the last 20 years. And it is unfair to blame a government that has been in power for two years.

"There is a perverse debate in the political arena. Holiday rentals have always existed and hotels have always coexisted with them, but when their growth becomes completely uncontrolled and uses (of buildings) become mixed, that's when a problem really arises. So, talking about collapse and overcrowding throughout the year is neither accurate nor coherent. The exponential growth of illegal tourism in the islands and the excessive growth in holiday rentals is what has led to the feeling of overcrowding in some areas."

Vich believes that no more licences for holiday letting in apartments should be issued and that those licences which exist should not be renewed when they come up for renewal. "If we have a housing crisis where our young people and workers can't access affordable housing, and as we believe we should allocate housing to those who are not able to afford it, then we should do this. If 100,000 holiday rental beds were removed from the market and between two and three billion euros were invested in infrastructure, many of the problems we have would be solved ."

Coming to the recent letter signed by seven groups urging tourists not to come to Mallorca , the hoteliers president notes that the government stated it respected the groups' freedom of speech. However, the federation believes there should have been condemnation. "Mallorca's tourism success stems precisely from its hospitality."

Then there is the tourist tax and the government's stated intention to increase the rates for high summer, which almost certainly will have to be delayed until 2026. The hoteliers are opposed to this increase, Vich calling for there to "consistency". "When it's said there will be an increase in the tax to influence demand, that's inconsistent." (Even the opposition PSOE, under whom the tax was introduced in 2016 and its rates subsequently increased, never used to argue that the tax was a deterrent.)

"What a tax increase does is reduce tourists' spending on restaurants, shops and more generally. I don't recall the increase being included in the Partido Popular's manifesto. It's something no one voted for. Furthermore, around €130 million revenue is generated per annum, and we've always said that the most important thing is to be able to see how these funds are being used and that they should also be long-term. Otherwise, what we end up with is just patchwork."

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Mallorca hoteliers president: Tourism is being used as "a punchbag"

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Mallorca hoteliers calling for government "courage" by not renewing apartment holiday let licences

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