The municipalities of the Serra, those with the highest number of illegal tourist rental spaces per inhabitant

PalmThe municipalities of the Serra de Tramuntana, including Búger—which is located within the area of influence—are those with the highest supply of illegal tourist accommodation relative to their population. The small town, located at the foot of the Serra and with only 1,200 inhabitants, has 81 homes operating without a license, according to detailed data from the study on illegal accommodation prepared on behalf of the Consell de Mallorca.

In second place is Escorca, with only 12 cases; however, the fact that it has a very low number of registered residents makes it the municipality with the second highest illegal accommodation per inhabitant. Third place also belongs to a municipality in the Serra: Deià, which records 40 illegal homes for a population of around 700.

Pollença, despite having an extensive network of regulated tourist rentals, is not immune to the blacklist of illegal accommodations: there are 756 unlicensed accommodations, placing it fourth in the ranking in terms of the number of illegal accommodations in relation to the resident population. Alcudia also occupies a prominent place in the ranking of municipalities with the highest illegal accommodation per inhabitant, with 687 illegal tourist rentals, according to data from the Consell study.

Capdepera and Sant Llorenç, two municipalities with intense tourist activity and a larger population than the top three in terms of illegal accommodation per inhabitant, appear next on the list. Capdepera has 388 unlicensed homes, and Sant Llorenç has 143. In fact, municipalities with tourist activity top the list of those with the highest illegal housing supply: Santa Margalida 467, and Calvià 413. Palma, for its part, occupies a significant position in absolute terms, with 2.2, as it registers a significant position in absolute terms. However, in relation to its total population, the rate stands at 2.3 illegal homes per 1,000 inhabitants.

An illegal supply of 40% of the total

All the data on illegal tourist rentals comes from a study conducted by the Consell de Mallorca at the request of its top tourism official, José Marcial Rodríguez, which was presented last week. According to the island institution's report, almost 40% of the homes offered for tourist rental They operate illegally, with nearly 8,000 properties not officially registered. This situation represents a total of 42,342 places working outside of institutional control.

To address this problem, the Consell has launched a new inspection campaign that will run until November 15, with the aim of carrying out more than 3,000 inspections. This initiative is based on the new tourism decree approved by the Government, which establishes three main axes: acting against establishments that have not operated in the last three years, improving the quality of the premises, and verifying responsible declarations of commencement of activity.

This action is part of a plan that aims to control both illegal supply and irregularities in the regulated supply, with the aim of "continuing to corner those who do things outside the legal circuit," according to Rodríguez. To carry out this work, the Department of Tourism has more inspectors and tools, such as a new call center for citizen complaints and requests, thanks to funds from the eco-tax.

The opposition has criticized this strategy, considering the measures insufficient given the magnitude of the problem. The Habtur employers' association has also requested more information. on the study carried out by the Consell, and stated that the figures are "questionable." The business association has criticized the waste of public funds in the study that released these data. "We strongly doubt the reliability of these figures.