The Government boasts of the "progress" made against tourist saturation and announces a new debate on the ecotax

PalmThe Sustainability Pact working group will debate next week the proposal to raise the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS, also known as the ecotax) that the PP and PSIB parties agreed upon during the last General Policy Debate. This was confirmed by the First Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance, Antoni Costa, during the government's question time in Parliament. With a new tourist season approaching, the government believes its proposals to combat tourist overcrowding are "bearing fruit." Although the government has not yet approved all of its key proposals, and the Sustainability Pact has not reached any concrete conclusions, Costa touted the "progress" made in this area, which includes efforts to reduce seasonality.

"Tourist spending grew by 4.8% in 2005, and we expect it to grow by 5.2% in 2026," he stated in the chamber, specifying that this increase was concentrated in the "low season, with a 10.2% improvement." "We are making progress in reducing seasonality," he asserted. "The peak tourist density levels in June, July, and August fell for the second consecutive year last year," he emphasized.

Costa has invited the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) to return to the meetings of the Pact for Sustainability (the left wing withdrew due to disagreements over its operation) to negotiate the increase in the ITS (Tax on Sustainable Land). In response to a question from Socialist MP Llorenç Pou, he insisted that the party is "summoned to defend its proposal." In general terms, the proposal is to raise the ITS during the summer months and reduce it during the winter months. Pou criticized Costa for the delay in bringing this debate to the table. "They promised that the proposal would be on the table before the end of the year," he said. "They've found time to meet with Airbnb."

According to government sources, the People's Party (PP) believes the data indicates a change in trend: "Numbers increase significantly during the off-season, while the number of visitors decreases during the summer months." In this regard, they believe the situation is moving toward containing the flow of tourists. Looking ahead to the coming months, the same sources assure that measures will be implemented, such as installing sensors on the beaches to prevent overcrowding.

Prohens at the PSIB: "In his head it was spectacular"

"Going from 17 to 19 million tourists is not containment," retorted PSIB spokesperson Iago Negueruela to the figures presented by Costa. After Negueruela began the political season by renting an illegal Airbnb apartment to criticize the government's handling of the fight against illegal tourist rentals, the president of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, snapped at the socialist: "In his mind, it was spectacular." "The tourist rentals he's now cracking down on were opened by the previous government," she responded.