Much has been said about the controversial tourist tax and its impact on the industry. The hoteliers believe that it should be scrapped at once believing that it is biting into the island´s competitive edge. They could be right. I think I have made my views on the tax very clear; it is not a bad idea as long as the money is well spent. But at the end of the day it is still a tax and has to be paid and I believe that we are already taxed enough.
So to my amazement last Saturday I had to pay a 10 pound development tax at Norwich airport. It was being paid by all adult passengers. I was not told what this additional surcharge was but there was no question that it couldn´t be paid. So I paid my ten pounds, end of story. But it got me thinking that travellers and tourists are now having to pay plenty of non-related costs from the tourist tax in Majorca to the airport development tax at Norwich.
Why can't all these costs be included in the price of the holiday or the flight because at the end of the day there is no escaping them? It is because if travellers realise that all of a sudden their holiday is going to cost them more than they had thought they will think twice about booking?
One of the beauties of all-inclusive holidays is allegedly you know exactly what you are going to spend. All these additional costs mean that holidaymakers have to be aware that they will need more money just in case. To be honest I don´t think it is a very acceptable situation.