UK holidaymakers heading to Majorca could be hit with a fresh tax as the Balearic Island takes a tough stance on tourism sustainability. The beloved destination for Brits, Majorca, has laid out its strategy to foster a sustainable tourism industry.
A key measure proposed is to impose the highest tourist tax rate on cruise ship visitors. This tax is set to increase from €2 (£1.68) to €6 (£5.04) per night at the height of the cruising season.
Marga Prohens, the Balearic president, officially announced these “tourism containment measures” last Friday. The tax will vary across four different rates and will be in effect for 10 months of the year, from March to December, sparing only January and February.
This hike means that couples spending two weeks in Majorca, Ibiza, or Menorca during peak times will face an additional €56 on their holiday bill, although it’s anticipated that children under 16 will not be subject to the fee.
Get all the latest money news and budgeting tips from Chronicle Live with our free newsletter
During the summer months of June, July, and August, cruise tourists in the Balearics will find their “eco-tax” increased threefold from two euros to six euros per overnight stay. Jaume Bauzá, the tourism minister from the conservative People’s Party Balearic government, remarked: “The islands have reached their limit.”, reports Birmingham Live.
Last week, Margalida Prohens, the Balearic premier, unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of the tourism sector aimed at achieving a “transition to sustainability”. She stated that this report would lay the groundwork for “a long-term process, which goes beyond any particular legislature or government mandate”.
The hotel federation in Majorca has voiced concerns that the proposed increase in the “eco-tax” will hit tourists’ wallets, potentially reducing their spending in local shops, eateries, and entertainment venues. The federation also criticised what it sees as a timid approach by authorities, who have opted to ban new holiday apartments in residential blocks rather than cut down on the current numbers.
Meanwhile, the Baleval car rental association on the islands has slammed the planned tax on tourist vehicles as “discriminatory and revenue-seeking”. They caution that this measure is unlikely to alleviate the traffic issues plaguing the archipelago’s roads.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/travel-tourism/majorca-holiday-blow-uk-tourists-31176286
