“Didn't they learn their lesson the last time they introduced a tourist tax...” said a British travel trade source today. He went on to say that the story was making the headlines in Britain for all the wrong reasons. A previous Balearic government did introduce a tourist tax but it was swiftly removed because of the outcry mostly from German tourists. If the Balearic government is not careful it could all happen again with a similar outcome. As I have said on countless occasions in this space, the Balearic government needs to act quickly and effectively otherwise they risk a disaster. They need to come clean and say when the tax is going to be introduced, how much it will cost, who will pay it, and explain how the money will be spent. You see with the internet and newspapers you can’t keep a tax on tourists a secret. It was just a matter of time before it appeared in the British papers and the Germans will follow next. Now, the general concensus of opinion locally was to dismiss newspaper reports in Britain which suggested that British families coming to Majorca next summer face a big tax bill. This is not the way forward. If the local authorities are serious about the surcharge then they need to act and act swiftly before it causes too much damage. Taxes are always unpopular, even more so when you don’t really understand why you are paying them and how the money will be spent.
Action now
21/09/2015 00:00
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4 comments
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Oh dear oh dear - do politicians and tourism chiefs never learn? They have allowed Mallorca to become a winter wasteland. For instance, Hotel Santa Lucia in Palma Nova used to have good winter occupancy, now it does what many hotels do, shut down and lay off workers because that's the easy option. There's a lot to promote about the island in the months when sunbathing and beach sitting are not on the list, but I see nothing in the UK that is attracting visitors. Only the Tunisia atrocities and the great Sterling/Euro exchange rate has kept numbers up this summer. Meantime the politicians and tourism chiefs take fat salaries for poor work. Environmental and tourist projects should be funded from taxes paid by local business from the wealth they achieve from increased tourism: but that demands hard work and vision from the people at the top. They have a cushy number. A tourist tax sends out a "keep away" message, and will cost a fortune to administer - and if it goes the way of some other incomes it may well end up in some grateful back pockets. Stupid idea.
Sadly Mike Richards, these funds will not be used effectively !!!! Mallorca is a 14 night holiday stay so we are not the same as Barcelona or Madrid. It was a huge negative effect when it was last introduced, families were threatened in hotels and were refused passports back .... what a great way to end your holiday !!!!. Northern Europe is out of recession hence why the island has become busier .... but in my opinion it was still dead this summer. Mallorca only benefitted due to the problems in Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt .... however, all these troubles are getting closer to Mallorca. We are not far from the coast of North Africa !!! Investment and confidence in the island will plummet. The winters are now depressing. Limited flights and they are all expensive already. MALLORCA is an ISLAND and due to this fact is extremely vulnerable to external influence. God forbid we have a terrorist attack on one of our beaches !!! Oil prices inflate rapidly. Another Ash Cloud. A World Recession again. Mallorca just needs to learn to manage there monies better, sadly this government is all about Spend spend spend.
Oh, do stop complaining.The flights to and from Barcelona to Palma are always full. We travel there frequently and pay approx. 62 cents tax per night for a hotel room. It's no big deal - and the local authorities ring fence the revenue to be ploughed back into tourism. Just what this island needs, too.
The tourist tax is small compared to the rising prices of flights and accommodation.