Council of Majorca wants tourist tax cash

Following the lead of the city council in Palma, which has made a pitch for some of the revenue raised from the tourist eco-tax to be made available for tourism projects there, the president of the Council of Majorca, Miquel Ensenyat, has said that it should also be a participant. The tax aims to invest in tourism products to make the Balearics more sustainable and competitive, and priority targets, Ensenyat believes, should be those for which the Council has certain responsibilities - heritage, culture and the landscape. In addition, as the Council seems set to assume devolved responsibilities from the regional government for tourism promotion and organisation, it is even more imperative that a portion of the tax revenue should be managed by the Council.  Ensenyat is convinced that there will be goodwill on behalf of the government in order to arrive at an agreement as to how proceeds from the tax will be applied, given that the tax will enhance the richness and marketing of tourist products, something in which the Council wishes to participate in directly through activities related to, among others, walking and cycling. Targets he has identified as potential beneficiaries include the mills of the Sant Jordi area of Palma and their restoration as well as routes for gastronomy and the island’s ethnology.  The president, who is the ex-mayor of Esporles in the Tramuntana, has announced that the Council is working on the organisation of a European Meeting of “Excursionists” in 2016 - either in spring or autumn - with the aim of promoting further the hiking routes of Majorca. This is one of a series of actions related to the environment that are planned for next year and which could represent a “very important” form of promotion for Majorca.