The Partido Popular's spokesperson, Marga Durán, says that it is not a good decision and has accused the administration of choosing a ban because of its inability to manage the situation. She takes issue with the fact that 20,000 were spent on the zoning study in order to arrive at the decision and also with the timing of the release of the study: just 48 hours before the next council meeting, which doesn't give enough time to thoroughly assess it.
Josep Melià, the president of El Pi in Palma, believes that the decision won't solve the problem and will have a negative impact on tourism in the city. He observes that the left-wing parties criticised the PP for its prohibition regarding apartment rentals and that they had indicated that they would "regulate" (by being less restrictive). "Now they want to do the same. The decision doesn't make it any easier to access rental accommodation."
The Pimeco association for small to medium-sized retailers worries that the ban will improverish the city and harm smaller businesses, while not helping to lower the price of rental accommodation or to create greater availability. Its president Toni Fuster says that holiday rentals boost the local economy and local shops because of purchases made by tourists.
On the other side of the debate, the president of the Palma Hoteliers Association, Javier Vich, believes that the town hall has been "very courageous", while adding that he hasn't had the chance to look at the study in depth. He thinks that the ban will make more rental accommodation available and that it will contribute to a tourism model of greater quality. "We are working on making Palma a sustainable and quality tourism destination. Offering rentals in apartment buildings was not doing that."
The citizens' group Ciutat per qui l'habita looks upon the prohibition favourably but argues that more needs to be done. It wants inspections to root out apartment rentals that don't comply with regulations and measures to increase the number of apartments for residential rent and at "accessible prices".
The Federation of Residents Associations was the body which made the proposal for a ban at a council meeting last July. That proposal was approved at the meeting. Its president, Joan Forteza, is therefore very satisfied and believes that the residents have "won against those monsters of holiday rental". Nevertheless, he believes that the zoning is not the solution to the problem and that more has to be done in building accommodation for young people and workers.
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You don't seriously believe the CEO of Thomas Cook. Sounds to me like he is trying to push the places you mention because of a lack of interest. And as for those who have 'supported tourism' for the last 40 years. Do you think they did it for the good of Mallorca or to line their pockets with cash from 'illegal' letting.
Interesting comments from Thomas Cook through their CEO on Sky news this morning that other destinations offer far better value than money with Turkey now being the favoured choice and Egypt and Tunisia having now been approved by the UK Foreign Office as safe destinations. What chance then this "bijou" destination of the Balearics,and for those who have supported the tourism over the last 40 years and who are now forbidden to let their property for rent for the shortest holiday season in the world. hope that the price of olives and figs will soar because that was the income stream in the 1970s and it would appear that is what the Balearics wishes to return to .
thisis where we start to see how making tourists feel unwelcome and property owners feel likes crooks makes for slow takings and businesses just a quick question when locals gain a mortgage and are rightly excited in buying a property where will they work to pay it off ?
As someone considering going to Mallorca for a holiday for a first time, that's a huge bummer. And it's really hard to find limitations of this ban like - does it only apply for apartments, hence private houses are fair game and does it only apply to the city of Palma of the whole island? There really needs to be a guide for this
please leave your money at the arrival gate and go back to were you came from
Nice picture, says it all : just throw down the suit cases wherever you think, lay down where it suits you Hippies