What happened?
Living on an island, which naturally comes along with limited space,it seems to be even more obvious that we really need to start protecting our environment more.
In 2017 the Balearic Government introuced the so called “tourist or eco tax” as a way to raise fundsfor sustainable tourism and promote visits in low season. This tax is charged from the tourists when booking their accomodation. As always when there is change, there have been strong critics on this topic – tourism and hospitality professionals feared a decrease of tourist numbers. Finally, between January and July 2017 a record 7.9 million people visited the Balearic Islands, up 7.5 per cent on the same period in 2016.
Now authorities decided to double the tax for 2018:
The new rates are ranging from 1€ per person per day for campers and hostel guests until 4€ for those staying in luxury hotels.
Of course again there are many critics on this decision, but even though working in the tourism sector myself, I believe if the money raised by this is ultimately really used for the good, protecting the island and its environment, its more than worth it.
We will see how tourists will accept the new rates and keep you posted on any news regarding this matter.
