A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the anti-tourism protesters and their demands on the Balearic Government. Whilst I don’t agree with most of their demands, there were a couple I thought were fair. One in particular that I thought needed looking into more was the tourist tax. 

This was introduced in 2016, and we were told that Its aim was to fund projects encouraging a sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism model, particularly projects that boost the preservation of the environment (nature, country life, agriculture and sea life), off-season tourism, historical sites and cultural heritage, research and development. 

At the time I have to be honest and say I had my doubts, not in the principle of it but exactly where and how the money was going to be spent. The first year, the hoteliers absorbed the costs themselves, thinking it would be so unpopular that the Government would remove it. Whilst it was unpopular, the Government refused to withdraw it, and it kept going. 

Now, you need a degree to understand how the tourist tax works here in Mallorca. As I’m not that academically blessed, I will do my best. 

People staying at luxury hotels will be charged €4, those at a mid-range hotels/accommodation €3, all cruise passengers and people staying in cheaper hotels, apartments and rented villas will be charged a minimum of €2 and guests of modest hostels will pay €1. 

During the low season (between 1st November and 30th April of the following year) the tax will be discounted by 75%. In addition, after nine days of any stay, the rate will also be cut by 50%. Children under the age of 16 are exempt from paying the tax.

I would scrap all of the above. Firstly, surely everyone should pay the same regardless of their accommodation? Why should the time of the year be discounted? I would keep the same level all year round. Should the amount of time you spend here be discounted? I would get rid of the 50% discount after nine days. And surely children are part of the sustainability problem as much as the adults? I would charge all children under 16. 

Now, let’s remember that we are not the only destination that has a tourist tax. According to Condé Nast Traveller the countries that currently have a charge are, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Caribbean Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain and the USA.

In 2024, the UK is imposing a new system called an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), whereby visitors from the US, Europe, Australia and Canada will be required to apply for permission and pay to enter the country.

Next year, the EU will begin implementing a new tourist visa(ETIAS), whereby non-EU citizens travelling from outside the Schengen zone will need to fill out a €7 application to enter the country. That includes the UK, of course!

Once this has all been paid, most people are asking, where is the money being spent and is it being spent on the tourism sustainability it is meant to support?  Last month, Balearic tourism minister Jaume Bauzá announced that 31 projects will be funded with revenue raised from the tourist tax in 2023.

The Sustainable Tourism Tax Commission, he explained, had approved 31 projects from 102 that had been submitted and which totalled 279 million euros in value. The 31 have a value of 94.5 million.

Do any of you know what those 31 projects are? In fact, can you recall any of the projects that have been paid for since the tax started? To be honest, me neither. And for me as someone who works in tourism and the media, that’s a bit worrying, isn’t it? 

 I wrote this in 2018, “Just a thought, why isn’t the Government promoting what they are spending the Tourist Tax money on? A video on that massive screen as you come through arrivals at the airport or pictures on the walls saying “last year we raised….and this is what we have spent the money on. Keeping Mallorca the way we all love it for now and for future generations.” Get Rafa Nadal to narrate the video, as he’s a Worldwide name that everybody knows and loves.”

I think the Government should be more open on where and what the money is being spent, and don’t be afraid to shout it from the rooftops. At the airport seems like a perfect place, and I would extend that to billboard’s around the island. If it is Rafa narrating a video then he speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French and Italian. Or let him speak in Spanish with subtitles in as many languages as you need. Let’s face it nobody like taxes but if you can see the money is being spent on the island’s sustainability then it makes it a little more palatable. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi, or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

If, like me, you’re a sports fan, then this summer has been an absolute feast of entertainment. Usually, the months between the end of the football season and the start of a new one are quite boring. Where I find myself watching old games that I already know the results of and sports that I would never normally watch.

However, this summer has been non-stop wall-to-wall sport of the highest calibre. We started with the Euros, England certainly didn’t play well, but they gave us some amazing memories. From the Jude Bellingham overhead kick, to defeating Switzerland on penalties and Ollie Watkins last minute winner against the Netherlands. Unfortunately our luck ran out against the deserved winners Spain, so although my country of birth didn’t win, at least the country I live in did.  Talking of the Spanish, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has overtaken Rafa Nadal as the leading Spanish player after his straight sets final victory over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. Then we had the British Grand Prix at Silverstone which is always a show-piece event and despite coming to the end of his contract at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton triumphed over his bitter rival Max Verstappen, with Britain’s Lando Norris finishing third.

To top the summer off, we’ve just had the Paris Olympics, which despite a weird and very wet opening ceremony which to me disappointed on many levels, the games themselves have been nothing short of sensational. I think my favourite things to watch has been the swimming, diving, gymnastics and the athletics. Although, I have found myself watching sports I would never ordinarily look at. I don’t think I’m alone in this, at least I hope not! But I’ve watched, dressage, shooting, BMX bike riding and skateboarding to name but a few. Which once the football season starts I wouldn’t go anywhere near. I think it’s the competitiveness of it all and that there’s a chance to win; a gold medal at the end. As I write this, Great Britain stand in fifth place in the medal table and are currently the best placed European nation, which is an unbelievable achievement. 

So it’s been a non-stop summer of great sport, and guess what? The Premier League and La Liga starts next week. I’ll see you on the other side. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi, or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

The first week of July and you can see that the island is hotting up in more ways than one. Without doubt, it hasn’t been as busy earlier in the season, which may be down to Easter falling so early, but things have certainly kicked in now, The supermarket I visit every Sunday wasn’t the usual in-out experience this week. The car park was overflowing and people were queuing for a trolley to actually go in with. I’ll make sure I go earlier next week to avoid the crowds. 

So here we go, ten weeks of madness, and then we’ll all be able to breathe again. This is the time when it gets too hot, parking will become a nightmare, getting a taxi will be as rare an England winning a trophy, and you’ll be lucky if you get a restaurant reservation. 

I go back to my point in another piece, that whilst Mallorca does get busy and probably too much so in the high season, the reality is it is only for 3 to 4 months. That also doesn’t make it right, but no Government since I’ve been here has managed to solve it. Now, this is the third time I’ve mentioned my interview with Brad Robertson of Save The Med a few weeks ago. When I asked him what can we do about “Tourismphobia” his words still resonate. “There’s too many people mate, whether you’re a tourist or someone that doesn’t leave your house, it doesn’t matter, there’s just too many of us”.

With that in mind, an interesting report came out this week that according to the Institute of National Statistics, 2.3 million visitors stayed with family and friends or possible illegal rentals and just under 1 million used their second homes here in the Baleares in 2023. That’s 20% of the overall tourist numbers are actually contributing to the islands’ so-called overcrowding problem, but the blame is being put at the hotelier’s door. I would imagine most of those visiting though will be contributing to the island’s economy through shops, bars and restaurants. In some cases, much more than a visitor to an all-inclusive hotel. There’s one hotel that shall remain nameless that is glad to see their guests go out and enjoy the facilities of the resort, as the guests are eating and drinking more than they bargained for. 

So whilst I have every sympathy with the protesters saying, “movement for less tourism, more quality of life”. We as a population are not helping the matter. Their next protest will take place in Palma on July 21st. I wonder how many of those protesters will have people staying with them, rent a property illegally, have a second home, or who are working in tourism?

Whilst all this is going on, the owners of Palma airport are pushing on with their expansion plans. We learned this week that a shopping mall likened to the one in Barcelona airport is being built, and they are building a new security area which will become Europe’s biggest. No sign of tourism cut back there then. It will be interesting to see over the coming months what the current government’s plans are for the island’s biggest industry. As anything they do now won’t come into effect until next year. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi, or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com