German tourists at Palma Airport, Mallorca

The tax varies according to the length of flights. | Juan Luis Ruiz Collado

Andrew EdePalma03/05/2024 08:59
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On May 1, a 19% increase in Germany's air tax came into effect. The increase is part of a package of measures to alleviate a massive budget deficit rather than a green tax. When the German government announced this in January, the president of the DRV travel association, Norbert Fiebig, observed that summer holidays would become "considerably more expensive for millions of Germans".

There are different rates of tax depending on the length of flights. At the bottom end of the range, the new tax is now 15.5 euros. The tourism industry in Mallorca is keeping an eye on what impact there may be but isn't overly concerned.

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The Mallorca Hoteliers Federation is critical as the increase penalises the consumer, but says: "Germans are not going to stop travelling. It is a priority for them, and they will do it even if it costs them more and they have to sacrifice other things for their vacations."

The Febhatur holiday rentals federation believes that the increase "will not be a problem". Advance German bookings have been strong and the association concludes that trends are the same as last season. "The figures are stable."

However, tourism data analysts Roiback say that they have detected a six per cent fall in bookings.