Controversial charge set to be abolished after slump in visitor numbers
A controversial “eco-tax” payable by visitors to Spain’s Balearic islands could be scrapped later this month, just a year after it was introduced.
As reported by News From Abroad, the tax was introduced last May with the intention of offsetting the damage caused by tourism on the environment – but it immediately became unpopular, largely because it added as much as £70 for a two-week family holiday in Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Formentera.
Though it raised some £12 million, the islands saw visitor number decline dramatically. Now, according to the Daily Telegraph, a new government has been elected in the islands and will bring in laws to abolish the tax.
Martin Brackenbury, chairman of the Federation of Tour Operators, told the newspaper: “We understand the objectives but it has put off many visitors. Even a small price rise has a significant effect because, for many people, the cost of the holiday is more important than where it is.”
And Humphrey Carter, of the Majorca Daily Bulletin, added: “This tax, along with inflation and the stronger euro, has made the islands more expensive for holidaymakers. Our most immediate task is to repair the damage done to the Balearics’ image.”
