The people of the Majorca have been warned that an increased tourism tax could be “disastrous” for the island.
The Balearic Islands‘ government hiked the tourist fees between June and August in an attempt to alleviate the pressure of large numbers of visitors coming to the area.
Gabriel Escarrer, the CEO of Mallorca-based Meliá Hotels International and president of the Exceltur alliance of leading companies in the travel and tourism sectors, warned that the new increased tourism taxes could hurt the local economy.
He told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “It will have the effect of worsening saturation and increasing residents’ annoyance. It cannot fix the problems, only paper over them.
“It has been proven that the tax has no deterrent impact on demand.”
Mr Escarrer branded it a “fictitious tax” and added that the increase is a “discriminatory measure that will cause a boomerang effect.”
He continued: “It will strengthen the illegal offer, which neither contributes to nor respects the limits of the islands. It will only saturate.”
Marga Prohens, President of the Balearic Islands, has argued that the increased tourist tax is a “tool” to use for the “regulation of tourist flows.”
She said: “It’s time to talk about containment and measures to transform our model.
“We propose increasing the Tourist Tax in the high season months and lowering it in the months of December, January and February, with a tax deduction to return its cost to residents. We consider it as the use of a tool at our disposal for the regulation of tourist flows.”
It has not been confirmed how much the new tourist tax will be, but the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports that it could be €4 (£3.35) a day per person at five-star and four-star superior hotels.
Guests at four-star and three-star superior hotels are charged €3 (£2.51) during the summer.