YOUR VIEWS

So the Majorcan Hotel Federation has finally twigged that 40% of tourists flying into the island go self catering. It has been thus for many years.
What is their solution? Stop the 40% coming to the island altogether! My solution would be to legalise short term lettings. This has already happened, as from 2012, in all rural areas. Issue licences for suitable accommodation in urban areas, and consequently receive taxes on all rents. Who is going to pay tax on rent received illegally? The Federation claim that people may stay in substandard accommodation, therefore damaging the reputation of the island. What poppycock, and they know it.

Remember last week's letter from two pensioners stuffed into substandard hotel accommodation. They wont be coming back.
The hotel lobby (no pun intended) cannot understand that vast numbers of tourists do not want to stay in their hotels at any price. Why? Self catering meets demand from people who a) do not want all inclusive packages, b) want a high standard of accommodation at a reasonable cost, c) do not want to stay with other tourists, d) may be disabled or obese and do not want to be seen in public, e) want to eat at local restaurants and travel round the island finding new facilities supporting small businesses, f) want to come to the island in the winter months when the hotels are closed. The Federation's suggestion that 40% of tourists should be banned is pure insanity. Rest assured the 40% of tourists affected will not be staying in their hotels, but going self catering elsewhere in the Med.

Yours sincerely
Richard Taylor

Calvia

Dear Sir,

Can someone knock some sense into the numbskulls who run your island before it is the laughing stock of Europe's tourist industry? And who is actually running it anyway, the government or the hotels?

Since 2008, 20% of restaurants and bars have had to close because of the growth of the disgracefully poor-quality “all-inclusive” hotel packages. Now, the hotels want the government to crack down on so-called “illegal” apartment rentals (they are only illegal because the government says they're unlicensed, but the government doesn't issue licences, so how's that for a catch 22?). If apartment-owners give up renting - and most will be forced to sell if they can't - then, if 40% of the island's visitors are staying in this “illegal” accommodation, as is suggested by the hotels, the 20% of restaurants disappearing will become 50% or 60% in a very short space of time. I suppose the hotels' goal is to have everybody landing in Palma International be carted off to one of their smelly hotels and then never to be seen again till they depart at the end of their fortnight's holiday. What sort of resorts will the island have then? This is a disaster in the making, it's total lunacy and must not be allowed to succeed.

Name withheld