Meliá Hotels International is Mallorca's largest hotel group and is also Spain's largest. Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, the CEO, is a leading figure in the hotel and tourism industries who has received plaudits at an international level and is one of the most visible of all hoteliers.
At times outspoken, he says of the Balearic Government's sustainability pact for tourism that there is now more scepticism with this than there was when it was launched just over a year ago. "Governments often issue ill-directed emergency treatments without a precise diagnosis that identifies the causes of the problems and with ineffective or discriminatory measures to silence public opinion."
The pact, a process with the supposed participation of multiple stakeholders, including those critical of the tourism model in the Balearics, has at times appeared irrelevant in that politics have influenced government policies. An example has concerned the tourist tax. The Partido Popular had appeared to be fully in favour of increasing the rate in high summer. The idea was dropped under pressure from Vox, the one source of support the minority government can hope to have.
Escarrer believes it was wise to withdraw this increase, as it would have been "unfair and ineffective". But he adds: "This does not compensate for the damage caused to society as a whole by legalising almost 100,000 places for holiday rentals that should have been returned to the residential market. It has been a huge disappointment, not because of our particular interest, but because it doesn't respond to the general interest and yet does affect the quality and sustainability of our tourism model."
He is of the view that apartment holiday rentals should be eliminated in the Balearics. "Absolutely, with the only exception perhaps in cases of buildings exclusively reserved for this purpose, where they don't coexist with residential use."
The holiday rentals association, Habtur, has accused him of hypocrisy, claiming that hoteliers have been contributing to the current problems for decades. "They have no arguments to refute us, and so they insult us and resort to the mantra of land consumption. As if the thousands of holiday apartments and homes didn't take up land, simultaneously detracting from residential spaces that, in addition to occupying land, would be absolutely essential for accessing decent housing.
The data kill the narrative. It's a fact that the number of hotel rooms in the Balearic Islands has increased marginally, while the number of tourist housing units has grown by 135%, 27 times more. And these have been over the years during which the problems of overcrowding and gentrification have soared, in addition to the problem of the high rate of illegal housing. I have nothing more to say to the holiday rentals association."
Higher prices are said to be the best means of combating tourist overcrowding, but the fact is that more tourists than ever are coming to Mallorca and the Balearics. On this, Escarrer insists "we return to the key question of the source of this increase in tourists if hotel rooms have been practically frozen for decades. This increase is therefore due to other types of legal, and often illegal supply, especially holiday rentals. All illegal supply must be eliminated as a first step against overcrowding."
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Stop building hotels.
The man is a billionaire who could not care less about the effects on the island or its people (I wouldn’t ). But it’s preaching to his own entourage who get thrown some nibbles from time to time. And the press going along with this nonsense.
I am a lobbyist, and I´m OK. Monopolies, in whatever skin, are evil.
Of course the very rich Hoteliers want all Tourists to stay in their Hotels !!!.
Spot on Chris, there needs to be a limit on the number of hotels/beds as well. The hotels have been dictating to the government for far too long.
The Hotel Industry in Mallorca Has Become the Taxi Mafia in a Different Uniform It’s becoming increasingly clear that Mallorca’s hotel industry is behaving just like the taxi industry: protectionist, self-serving, and allergic to fair competition. Just as the taxi unions have fought tooth and nail to block services like Uber not out of public interest, but to preserve their monopoly and outdated practices — the hotel lobby is now demanding the elimination of holiday rentals. Why? Because they want full control of the tourism sector. Not better standards, not sustainability — just control. Let’s not forget: the number of tourist beds in Mallorca is capped. That means every apartment rental eliminated frees up a license — which hoteliers can then buy, bid on, and use to expand their empire. It’s not about overtourism — it’s about cornering the market. It’s no different from taxi drivers lobbying to ban car rentals or 1 car policy so everyone is forced to hail a very rare cab. This isn’t innovation or leadership — it’s cartel behaviour in a linen suit.
This is nothing new. The hoteliers have been moaning of one thing and the other, for at least the last 20 years. They demanded that licences were introduced to private accommodations. Now moaning again. They will never stop.
Over 20 new hotels built in the past few years.
Another key stajehokder in the tourism industry pointing the finger of blame at others! Yes he's right apartment rentals should be banned because this would increase the availability of apartments for normal mallorquins to rent for regular living. However, what he ignores to mention is that tourist beds in hotels have increased year after year and are now at record capacity - if we are to do anything meaningful to limit overall tourist numbers on the island then we must cap/reduce the number of hotels beds on the island. But of course he will come up with some irrational word salad to deny that growth in hotels beds has contributed to our over-tourism situation!