Tag: europe

Balancing Mallorca’s Tourism: Strategies for Year-Round Success

It’s time for me to say to the protesters of over tourism, whilst I have every sympathy with your problems, I, for one, do not support the way you are going about it. The problem with housing and the affordability to either buy or rent isn’t that of the tourists that come to the island and spend their hard-earned money. It lies with the failure of successive Governments for not putting together a house building programme and making some of those properties affordable to the younger people trying to get onto the housing ladder. I would also ask where have you been for the past six months? And why is that? Well, the easiest answer is that apart from the capital city of Palma, the island has more or less been closed. 

The Government should have been offering more encouragement to the Airlines, tour operators and Hoteliers to keep working through the winter. Rather than being happy to only open from May to October. Maybe if the population was employed for 12 months instead of 6 then housing would possibly be more affordable? I would be interested to know what the cost is for paying people unemployment benefit in the winter. Why not strike a deal for the businesses here to open up and not have to pay social security in the winter months, a cost which cripples most companies. When I arrived in Mallorca in 1990 the winter was just as busy as the Summer. However, over the years this has eroded to a situation where most resorts are ghost towns in the winter. Flights have been taken away through the years and as that’s more or less the only way you can get here, the island has consequently suffered. Also, the advent of the low-cost airlines has opened up lots of new destinations that bring competition and that weren’t on the map back in the 1990s. 

Maybe if the tourism load was spread over 12 months instead of 6 then the problem of over tourism might go away? I, for one, doubt it, but it might be one of the solutions to the problem. Take Benidorm on the mainland as a perfect example of this. It’s literally half an hour across the water, temperatures are the same around 15–20 degrees, and it’s still as busy in the winter as it is in the Summer. In fact, there were reports of thousands of people heading there instead of going to Cheltenham in mid-March. They were saying it was cheaper to go there than spend four days at the famous horse racing festival. Combine that with the climax to the Six Nations Rugby on the Saturday the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle on the Sunday and St Patrick’s Day, what a week that was! The authorities here should take note. 

To go back to my main point that the protesters in my opinion should not target the tourists as that is the lifeblood of our island. Do they not remember what it was like in the pandemic? I’ve said it before, but I’m sure, like me, most of them have a friend or family member that is involved in tourism in one way or another. So targeting them isn’t going to help in any way. 

One thing the protesters haven’t mentioned and was reported to me by Brad Robertson of Save The Med, when I interviewed him a few months ago. He said, “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”! In two decades, Mallorca’s population has grown from 727,000 to 960,000, an increase of 32 per cent. Maybe we should get our own house in order first? 

Heathrow Closure and Passport Fee Hikes: What to Know

The breaking news on the radio early Friday morning was Heathrow being closed. My immediate thought was that there had been a terrorist attack or there had been a crash. Thankfully, it was neither of those. A fire at a nearby sub-station had caused a power outage. Unfortunately, it meant that the airport had had to close down, and it wasn’t known when it was going to re-open. The closure meant that thousands of people’s travel plans were disrupted. Not just at Heathrow, but the knock on effect was felt around the World. It begs the question, why does one of the biggest airports in the World not have sufficient back up to run all of its systems? Surely the money lost on that day would have paid for it? 

The UK Government is going to raise the cost of passport applications from the 10th of April 2025. This is subject to Parliament approval, but with the majority the Government have there shouldn’t be a problem.

  • the fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will rise from £88.50 to £94.50 for adults and £57.50 to £61.50 for children
  • postal applications will increase from £100 to £107 for adults and £69 to £74 for children
  • the fee for a Premium Service (1 day) application made from within in the UK will rise from £207.50 to £222 for adults and £176.50 to £189 for children
  • the fee for a standard online application when applying from overseas for a UK passport will rise from £101 to £108 for adults and £65.50 to £70 for children
  • overseas standard paper applications will increase from £112.50 to £120.50 for adults and £77 to £82.50 for children 

In 2024, where no further information was required, 99.7% of standard applications from the UK were processed within 3 weeks. You may want to look at the date of all your family passports to save yourself some.money.

The British Embassy in Spain is urging all British nationals resident in Spain to get a tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE) as soon as possible, following new information from the Spanish Government that the old Green Certificate will not be recognised by the EU’s Entry Exit System.  

The EU have yet to announce a date for when the Entry Exit System (EES) will come into force, though it is believed to be later this year. Under this new border system, all non-EU short stay travellers will need to register their name, passport details, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) upon entering Spain or any other EU country. These details will be held on file for three years, meaning Britons making repeat visits to Spain within a three-year period will not have to go through the same registration process each time or have their passport stamped once EES is fully implemented.  

To be exempt from registering with the EES, British residents in the EU will need to show a valid uniform-format biometric card. For British residents in Spain, only a TIE will be accepted by Spanish and EU authorities. The Green Certificate will not be recognised because it does not meet the requirements to feature in Annex 22 of the Schengen Borders Code.   

As a result, Green Certificate holders attempting to enter Spain or any other country in the Schengen zone will not be able to use their Green Certificate as valid proof of residency and may be wrongly accused of overstaying in the EU. This could lead to them being denied entry and returned to the UK. There will be an appeals process, although it may require the Green Certificate holder to return to the UK until it is resolved.  

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Overtourism Solutions: Tourist Tax Amendments Explained

So now we know some of the plans the Government have set out in order to reduce the so-called over tourism or Tourismophobia as it’s also known. 

An increase on the tourist tax on cruise ships.

An overall increase in the Tourist Tax in high season.

A Tax on cars that spend less than six months on the island and aren’t registered here. 

If we’re honest, it’s a thankless task trying to appease everyone, as they all have their own agendas. In fact, one of the biggest problems for the Government is actually trying to get these ideas through parliament as they are currently governing in a minority having fallen out with Vox, the party they made a governing pact with. Whether you’re governing in a coalition or in a minority the biggest problems are that each party is out to get its own agenda into the equation in order to get a deal done, The problem with that is its not always in the best interests of the problems that need solving or the people they are trying to help. 

The Tourist Tax has been raised in high season and scrapped in January and February. The raise I don’t really have a problem with as it has risen when the numbers are at their highest and as long as the money is passed onto the right places, then that will benefit the sustainability. I’m still not sure whether it should be a flat rate across the board, rather than charging different rates depending on the star rating of the hotel. Why assume that someone staying in a higher rated hotel has more money, when everybody is having an effect on the island and its services? Another thing I don’t get is that children under 16 don’t pay anything and yet their numbers are still adding to the footfall on the island too?

Linked to this is that cruise ships are to be charged the maximum amount of tourist tax in the high season. Which once again, I do not have a problem with.

In 2025, 541 cruise ships are scheduled for Palma. The total number of passengers is put at 1.8 million. By comparison with 2024 there will be 47 more ships and 41,000 more passengers. According to Ibestat, the passengers that disembark “only spend €35 on the island”. Only? That’s not a bad per head for a person spending sometimes less than a day here. That 63 million euros I am sure is welcome. What isn’t taken into account is the employment this all creates and the other revenue such as coaches, taxis and the companies restocking those ships. I would also wager a bet that a certain percentage of those 1.8 million visitors will return to the island for another holiday. 

Finally, a tax is to be charged on people bringing cars to the island on the ferries. The size of your vehicle and your length of stay will determine what you pay. It will apply to any vehicle that is not registered on the island.

This all may look good on paper, but whenever I go to Palma airport, I see more and more building work. Which can surely only mean one thing, more tourists?

Future of Mallorca Tourism: Optimism and Investment

In the European tourism world, there are three main tourist fairs. The World Travel Market in London in November, Fitur in Madrid in January and the ITB in Berlin in March. These are all large-scale events where exhibitors from travel, hospitality, and cultural sectors convene to showcase their services and products.

So the great and the good from the travel world here in Mallorca have returned from Madrid, and I was wondering what was the message they returned with. 

After speaking to a few of them, the main answer I got was “optimism”. 

One of the main problems the Government need to address is the sustainability of the Islands and how they are going to do that yet still reap the economic benefits.

President Marga Prohens announced that 1.12 billion euros is to be spent on tourism sustainability and modernisation in the Balearics.

The slogan for the campaign is ‘the reason is you’ and the strategy is to make the Balearics a benchmark in tourism sustainability. The money will come from the EU next generation funds and the tourist tax – respectively 260 million euros and 860 million euros of tourist tax revenue raised since 2016.

Being an island, we rely on people arriving by air and sea, so is it any wonder the amount of investment in our airport and ports?

Many airlines are increasing their seat capacities. One of them United Airlines from the United States, will increase its direct flights from Palma to New York by more than 50%. A route between the two cities that will also remain in operation until the 24th of October, an extra month on last year.

Anybody travelling through Palma Airport this winter will have seen the massive investment in the infrastructure. Now, I imagine this is being put in place to improve the customer journey, but without doubt it is also preparing for an increase in passenger numbers. 

Back in 2021 there was a 5-year agreement signed to limit the size and number of cruise ships visiting Palma. Whilst there are fewer ships and passengers compared to 2019, the numbers are still high. In 2025, 541 cruise ships are scheduled for Palma. The total number of passengers is put at 1.8 million. By comparison with 2024 there will be 47 more ships and 41,000 more passengers. 

According to Ibestat the passengers that disembark “only spend €35 on the island”. Only? That’s not a bad per head for a person spending less than a day here. That 63 million euros I am sure is welcome. What isn’t taken into account is the employment this all creates and the other revenue such as coaches, taxis and the companies restocking those ships. I would also wager a bet that a certain percentage of those 1.8 million visitors will return to the island for another holiday. 

You may wonder why the Club de Mar and the Paseo Maritimo in Palma are being revamped? Like the airport, I imagine this has been to not only improve the area for residents but preparing for greater numbers arriving at the port. 

1 in 5 people in the Balearics work in Tourism, we all know someone who is involved in that Industry. Tourism both directly and indirectly contributes between 40% and 50% of the Balearic Island’s total GDP. Mallorca continues to face major challenges in terms of making tourism more sustainable while at the same time safeguarding their economic interests.

Exploring Family-Friendly Travel: Center Parcs to Cancun

We returned from our Christmas break last week with our batteries recharged and ready for what 2025 has to offer. 

Christmas with the family is a must-do for us every year, although tinged with some sadness this year after the passing of my Mother. We stayed at Center Parcs in Woburn for the beginning part of our break. If you’re not familiar with them, they are a holiday resort brand offering family-friendly short breaks in natural forested settings. Operating several holiday villages across the UK, each designed to provide a tranquil escape while offering a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities for all ages. What I love about them is they are so big that you never see a lot of people at any one particular time, and that they are car free. 

I say this every year and I will keep on saying it, Center Parcs would be perfect for Mallorca and particularly to help promote the winter months here. One highlight of our trip every year is going to see our team the Arsenal play and as usual tickets were hard to come by but a good friend of ours managed to sort them for us. At the time of the game, we were staying at the Premier Inn in Gatwick Airport, in preparation for our holiday abroad. So we caught the Gatwick Express to Victoria and then the Tube to Arsenal. We booked our tickets on the Train Line App and halved the cost that we would have paid by paying at the station. 

Our holiday was booked through TUI, who we’ve travelled with for quite a few years now. We find the choice and prices they offer particularly on long haul holidays are usually the best compared to say Virgin or BA. Interestingly, we flew with BA to our destination, which was Cancún in Mexico. We were booked into the Grand Palladium Select, situated in Costa Mujeres. Approximately 45 minutes from the airport. The Palladium Hotel Group is a well-known Spanish hotel chain established in the late 1960s. It operates a diverse portfolio of luxury and all-inclusive properties across several brands, catering to various types of travellers, including families, couples, and adults-only guests. Headquartered in Ibiza, Spain, the group is part of the Matutes Group, a family-owned conglomerate with interests in tourism and real estate. On Ibiza they own some of the most iconic brands including Ushuaia, Hi Ibiza and Privilege Nghtcub. Here in Mallorca, they own the BH complex in Magaluf that they’ve turned into a huge family complex in partnership with Fergus Hotels. 

Palladium aren’t the only Balearic based hotel company with interests in long haul destinations. Melia, Riu and Iberostar are well represented, and it makes you wonder that one of the reasons why the Balearics suffers during the winter months could be their concentration on their long haul offerings. 

Another Balearic business situated at our hotel was the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy. It opened in 2018 and provides excellent tennis facilities for the guests at the hotel. 

All in all it was a lovely relaxing holiday and the Mexican people are very friendly, polite and hard-working. 

One thing I noticed on the way home was, why is it that long haul flights are always such a mess at the end? There is rubbish everywhere, and having flown on many a low-cost flight and see how they keep their flights as clean as possible. Why can’t the long haul flights do the same? 

Freedom Of Movement

Back in May, I wrote this;

“The 23rd of June 2016 was a day when the older generation in the UK totally changed the landscape for the younger generation. It was the day that Brexit became a reality and unfortunately, just over half of the population believed the spin of vote leave campaign more than the spin of vote remain. One of the driving forces for vote leave was immigration, and by taking away the freedom of movement they said the UK would get their borders back. Well that went well didn’t it!

On the one hand, all it has done is to drive the people to take much riskier ways of getting to the UK. And on the other hand, it has denied the younger generation all over Europe, the freedom to travel and work abroad. 

Why is the UK Government so obsessed with denying people the freedom to travel? It seems they and those who voted for Brexit forgot they were young once and decided it is best that they deny the same opportunities to younger people.”

Of the 18-24 year olds, 73% voted to remain and 27% voted to leave. Compare that to the over 65’s where 60% voted to leave and 40% voted to remain. It’s a sad fact of life that some of those over 65’s are now no longer with us, and while I respect their right to vote for what they believed in. Surely a clearer majority should have been put in place to make sure a tight result meant a second referendum? Although you have to be over 18 to vote in the UK, why weren’t the 16 and 17-year-olds at the time not given the opportunity to vote on something that would ultimately affect their future? Unless something changes they’re going to have to live with the consequences of this decision for about 70 years, and it’ll affect every area of their lives from education, to jobs and to travel.

Both the UK and the EU have suffered from an employment point of view, ever since the freedom of movement was taken away. Mallorca has suffered twice in the need for workers from both Brexit and the pandemic. Brexit has brought the lack of workers from the UK and since the pandemic, less seasonal workers from the Spanish mainland have arrived. Meaning some bars and restaurants only open for 5 days a week, and have you wondered why it’s so difficult to get a taxi in July and August? 

Rumours are abound in Westminster that the Government have set up a task force to forge closers ties with our former EU partners. One of the topics is the freedom of movement for 18-30 year olds. I don’t understand anyone who would deny anyone of any age their freedom of movement, particularly if it was to go somewhere looking for work. But if it means our children can enjoy the same freedom as I and many others did, then I am all for it. 

Shop Locally This Christmas

I’ve put together some ideas to make your Christmas a little easier. Whether you’re looking for some ideas for gifts or some deals from proven quality suppliers on the island, you should read on. 

The tanning product that has taken TikTok by storm and has over 100,000 followers on Instagram. 2BTanned is a premium tanning brand dedicated to helping you achieve a flawless, sun-kissed glow. Offering a range of high-quality tanning products, including accelerators and bronzers, 2BTanned delivers a deep, natural-looking tan with ease. Their formulas are designed to enhance your tanning experience, whether indoors on a sunbed or outdoors on the beach, for a radiant finish every time. Quite simply, the ultimate confidence boost which will make a great Christmas present or stocking filler. 

Items available to buy are;

Lip Gloss €10

100ml cream €10

200ml cream €20

Face creams €15

Gels €20

They can make up some Christmas bundles too if you wish. 

You can place an order on what’s app (0034) 692 920 017 or email julie@square1limited.com, and they can deliver them to you here on the island before December 20th. 

Simon at Bespoke Provisioning studied for 3 years training at Chefs school, which included becoming a fully fledged butcher and fishmonger. 

You may remember him from the Escape bar in Palma, which he ran for 16 years. When he left the bar he started The Meat & Fish Society which has now become Bespoke Provisioning. They specialise in the highest quality meat and fish, fully trimmed, cut, filleted, vacuum packed and labelled and delivered on time. They deliver to Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca (fixed rates to Ibiza and Menorca so no surprises) Simon has cheffed for Queen drummer Roger Taylor on his new yacht ‘Rock n Roll’ and has cooked at countless events. 

As yacht provisioning is a little quieter at this time of year, he has some special festive offerings for Christmas. Whole organic Turkeys and gammon joints in various sizes, with a special offer of a 6kg Turkey with a 4kg gammon for €100. He can also offer other meats and fish, including geese, a rib roast or smoked salmon and even caviar. 

Simon has very kindly offered a 5% discount on all of his products if you use the code Richie Xmas. 

For more information, please call or WhatsApp Simon on 619 593 387. Facebook 

“the meat and fish society” for pictures, videos and general information. 

And you can Email him on sales@mn2v.co

Stuck what to buy someone this Christmas? Why not treat them to a sightseeing helicopter trip or get them a voucher for a trip or a voucher to go towards a trip?

Without doubt, one of the best ways to see Mallorca or one of our other islands is from a helicopter. It gives you a totally different perspective of the Balearics rather than driving around in a car or an excursion by coach. The Helicopter Center has over 20 years of experience to make flying a pleasure whilst maintaining the highest standards of safety.

They offer pleasure flights around our idyllic island, an island hop between Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, or you could indulge in their ultimate helicopter dining package. Which I have been lucky enough to experience. We flew from Son Bonet down to the South West coast and up through the beautiful mountainous West coast. Passing Richard Branson’s estate and the stunning villa of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. We landed at the 5-star hotel Son Brull, surrounded by 32 hectares of vineyards, orchards and centuries-old olive trees, just 2 km from the town of Pollença and 6 km from the sea. This historic 18th century monastery is the perfect place to enjoy a lunch and a bottle of Mallorca wine (lunch not included). We then flew back through the centre of the island, passing the reservoirs and the capital city of Palma. 

Stewart has very kindly offered a 5% discount on all flights and vouchers if you use the code Richie1.

For more information please go to http://www.thehelicoptercentre.com email info@thehelicoptercentre.com or call 0034 638 603 197

In my opinion, no Christmas is complete until you get yourself a tree. Not a fake one for me, it has to be real. A few years ago, I met a guy called Quentin who was bringing Christmas trees over to Mallorca from a farm in Denmark. 

Their arborists (aka tree surgeons to you and I) have been growing and selling the highest quality, most sustainable and durable Nordmann fir Christmas Trees since the industry commenced in Denmark in the early 70s. Their philosophy has always been to produce quality over quantity, whereby the ethical treatment of the workers, the earth and the clients is always respected and maintained, these are the values which are essential to their organisation. For every 10 trees they cut, they replant 14. 

When I last spoke to Quentin, he didn’t have too many trees left, but has very kindly offered a 5% discount on the last few trees if you quote the code Richie Tree.

Delivery, stands and branches for decorations are available for an extra cost. 

For more information, please visit http://www.mallorcachristmastrees.com 

Mallorca Christmas Trees on Facebook and Instagram or call or what’s app 

658 342 941.

I totally believe in buying and helping local businesses at this time of year. All of the above I count as friends who have always helped when I’ve asked for help with charity events. Rest assured, they are all professional people that have lived and worked in Mallorca for as long as I have. 

Valencia – A Follow Up

The awful scenes of flooding in Valencia took me back to what we saw at San Llorenc here in Mallorca back in 2018. A similar wall of water struck the village in devastatingly quick time and 13 people sadly lost their lives. I remember the cleaning up operation, where 100’s of people from all over the island including Rafa Nadal descended on the area and a huge amount of charity donations were made by people at the time. I was part of the team at Radio One Mallorca who along with local business, Bosuns Locker took a van load of donations to a church in Manacor as the whole of San Llorenc was completely shut off. 

Believe it or not since those dreadful floods nothing has been done to avert future problems. After researching this further I saw a report in March this year by IB3 our island television station that the Government will invest 40 million euros in the improvement of the Ses Planes and Sa Blanquera torrents in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. The first steps were to commission the drafting of the project and the works are expected to begin in 2027, that’s nine years after the fateful flooding.

There have also been calls for an emergency alert system to be activated, which sends out an SMS message in the event of a catastrophe or emergency such as a fire, an explosion or a flood. Apparently this has been around for years but has not been activated by successive Balearic Governments who have failed to put it into place. Friends of ours in Porto Cristo sent us pictures and videos of similar floods there on Sunday night into Monday morning. Whilst not as devastating still not good and could have been a whole lot worse. 

This rain I imagine then made its way across the water to Valencia to cause the destruction there. This time though on a far greater scale and with many more people sadly losing their lives. Both tragedies have similar stories, copious amounts of rain causing tsunami like conditions and creating flooding in such a way that it’s impossible to avoid. It’s caused by a weather phenomenon called DANA – ‘depresion aislada en niveles altos’ in Spanish – which translates as ‘isolated low-pressure system at high levels’. This is explained in these four steps. 

  1. Cold air from the north moves south.
  2. Warm air then blows over the Mediterranean, rising quickly and forming heavy clouds.
  3. The low pressure from the north gets blocked by the high pressure above the water, causing it to slow down or stop completely.
  4. This creates storm-like conditions that cannot move anywhere else, so the rain falls over the same area for a sustained period of time.

Heavy rainfall was forecast in the most affected region, Valencia, from Friday the 25th, with warnings scaled-up to “significant danger” by the Spanish meteorological service AEMET on the 28th, followed by another warning of “extreme danger” the next morning. Despite the forecasts, many people in the Valencia region only received warnings when the rain had already begun and evacuation was not possible for many. I am also led to believe that an SMS a was sent out for people to remain in their homes but many were still out in their cars and were caught out when a major road flooded. If Florida in the USA can issue evacuation notices on its people when hurricanes or tornadoes are forecast then surely authorities across Spain will have to look at something similar. It’s a known fact that the Mediterranean coastline of Spain, particularly the Valencia and Catalonia regions, is highly vulnerable to these floods.

Near where I live there is a place called El Toro that has a heavy Valencian population. They have been collecting non perishable foodstuffs, hygiene products & pet food, at their HQ Casa de Valencia, on the Main Street. 

Also Port Adriano organised 2 containers to collect food and clothes to send to those affected. Well done to Highland Gold in Son Bugadellas who sent 15 tonnes of food via two of their own lorries given by themselves and other businesses. I’ve seen collections at Real Mallorca, supermarkets and at other aid charities and agencies. I am sure there will be more collections across the island so please help in any way you can. 

It’s a travesty that disasters like this make the authorities take more notice of the problems in hand. 

The Soller Solution?

My nickname of Dad Taxi becomes even more prevalent once the new football season starts. It’s slightly easier this year as my eldest Jacob has taken some time away from playing football to concentrate on his studies.  My youngest Jude, however, is still full on because he is a goalkeeper and has specialist training twice a week as well as training with his team. Although that has also changed a little as he is training with two teams within the same club because of an injury to one of the goalkeepers. 

Last weekend I was certainly earning my money as he was playing in Soller, which is a good 45 minutes from home. Apart from the football, I love travelling around the island, visiting places I wouldn’t normally go to and discovering the best cafés or bars in those towns or villages. There are not many places I haven’t been to, and If you’re interested, I normally know the best establishments for a Mallorca breakfast or lunch. Sometimes it’s the football club’s bar, but there’s not too many of those, so you then need to go and explore. Now, you couldn’t ask for a more picturesque stadium than the one in Soller, which is surrounded by mountains. The bar there isn’t too great to be honest, but there’s a café just past the stadium that does great Pa Amb Oli. Which is basically brown and olive oil which can be topped with virtually anything. Perhaps I could sell this idea to the Editor? Discovering Mallorca’s best football club eating establishments, I’m more than happy to take one for the team, if you get my drift.

Once in Soller you can’t help but wonder in the beauty of it, both the town and the port. With that in mind, if you’re looking for a place that suffers from “Over Tourism” then this is it. It was a Saturday afternoon in October, but it was still very busy and parking was at a premium. It got me thinking about how places like this can be helped. Before the Soller tunnel was built in 1997, people used to arrive via the tricky mountain road or by train from Palma. Both of those options still exist, but the advent of the tunnel has made access so much easier. Which is where the problem lies. On the one hand, it’s great for residents to get out to work or school, but on the other hand, it makes it a lot easier for coaches and hire cars to get in. So my question is, why did they take the toll charge away in 2017? Surely it’s time to bring it back? Make it free to the residents of Soller, charge a discounted fee to island residents, and charge a fee to those who are just visiting for a day. Then use that money to protect the area. I touched on this last week with the Tourist Tax, as long as you are transparent as to where the money goes, then people won’t mind paying it. Place huge billboards at the entrance to the tunnel and in the town and port showing where the money has been spent. Another idea is a park and ride scheme, with car parks before you reach the tunnel and coaches to bring you in. One coach would be the equivalent of between 15 and 20 cars less. Or you could do park and train. The current Palma to Soller train stops at Bunyola so you could build a car park there, or look to build another stop with a car park. This would significantly reduce the number of cars, but you would have to increase the frequency of the trains, as there are currently only 6 running into Soller on a daily basis. What about park and boat? Not sure if that is done already? Possibly by an organised excursion, but this would be parking somewhere on the coast and being ferried in. Now these are just ideas, and they may have been talked about already, but something needs to be done. We all want the best places in Mallorca to be preserved for now and for future generations. 

Is This Just a Way To Get More Money Out Of Us?

I read with interest the comments made by Easyjet Holidays Chief Executive Garry Wilson and reported in the Majorca Daily Bulletin newspaper this week. He was talking at the ABTA convention in Greece the previous week. He commented that some destinations were introducing what he called “environmental fees.”

“While I understand the ethos, we need to understand what you’re doing with that money.” Wilson said it would be “understandable” if taxes were introduced with a ‘direct link’ to initiatives such as installing systems that automatically switch off air-conditioning and electric sockets when hotel rooms are empty. But he said if the revenue simply “goes into a big pot”, holidaymakers will think “this is just a way to get more money out of me”. Wilson said taxes were “going up and up and up when it comes to travel”.

Now on the one hand I totally agree with him on being as transparent as you can on where all the money is going. 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.”

It’s not rocket science, be upfront and proud of what you are doing. Which is basically what Mr Wilson is saying. Where I find his comments slightly disingenuous is when he says  “holidaymakers will think “this is just a way to get more money out of me”. Wilson said taxes were “going up and up and up when it comes to travel”.

Now I have to admit that EasyJet are my no-frills airline of choice but, this is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, surely? All low-cost airlines and tour operators are always looking at ways to get more money from holidaymakers. It sometimes costs you more for a suitcase than it does a person these days! Not forgetting to add those other optional taxes such as choose my seat, car hire, insurance and a hotel room. They’ll be asking us to pay to enter the loo soon!