The increase in the residents' discount for inter-island flights to 75% has led the regional government to reactivate inter-island tourism promotion for the low season. Together with the Aviba travel agents' association, the government wants to maximise the potential for travel between the islands.
The new campaign, launched by the Balearic Tourism Agency, wants Balearic residents to rediscover their islands during the low-season months. As with all initiatives aimed at tackling tourism seasonality, the aim is to give a boost to months of the year when there is far less foreign tourism. More than one hundred places of interest to visit have been identified in the campaign, which is directed at all age groups.
The Aviba president, Antoni Abrines, believes that the project is viable but he is also asking the government to restore financial packages that were once in place to incentivise travel by senior citizens. This assistance was within the framework of the one-time Pla Oci 60, which was launched in 1997 and scrapped in 2011.
Over the fourteen years of its operation, over 130,000 people travelled between the islands and there were flights between Ibiza and Mahon for the first time. The annual cost to the government was 1.3 million euros. Some 10,000 senior citizens benefited from the programme each year. Studies of the Pla Oci 60 suggested that for every euro invested by the government, there was a return of 1.20 euros.
Aviba estimates that under the tourism agency's new scheme some 80,000 people could travel each year between November and March. These would include people over the age of 60 with or without a subsidy. Packages of between two to four days would, believes Abrines, benefit different sectors of the economy.
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Made the mistake of taking a hotel break in Mallorca last year, had the pay the tourist tax even though we are resident on the island and paying all the necessary taxes. Once bitten twice shy!
If our politicians go on one of their jollies to one of the other Balearic Islands(at our expense) and stay there, are they subject to this robber baron tax, or is this another area where they are not subject to the rules the rest of us must obey?
No chance of us going as long as the tourist tax for residents is charged!