Jason Moore09/06/2016 00:00
TW
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Now the Balearic government wants to crack down on all-inclusive holidays and will be sending out inspectors to check and establish exactly how many hotels on the island are offering this type of package. Broadly I welcome the move because of the impact of this sort of holiday on the bar and restaurant trade in the resorts. It also could be argued that all-inclusive holidays mean that some tourists do not actually leave their hotels and do not discover the joys of the island. But the government has to be careful. This week they have already announced that they will attempt to curb the number of cruise ships visiting the port of Palma and now they are talking about a crackdown on all-inclusive holidays. And of course we mustn't forget that they are already planning to introduce the controversial tourist tax from 1 July.

All these new measures could mean that the alarm bells will start ringing within the international travel industry. The last thing that the industry will want to see is government legislation and taxes which could curb their activity on the island. All-inclusive holidays do have a negative impact on the resorts but it must be remembered that they are hugely popular with international tourists. Palma, it must be remembered, is an international cruise ship centre and government moves to curb ship visits could have a major impact. I would urge the government to be careful and not get too carried away.