Majorcan hoteliers met in Palma yesterday to establish a united front against any form of tourist tax being introduced, and recommended that government money should be used to protect and improve the environment. The owners of the region's main hotel chains gathered yesterday in protest over the Balearic government's fresh attempts to introduce the controversial tax. President of the Majorcan hoteliers association, Pedro Cañellas, said that the hotel sector opposes any form of tourist tax, whether it will be collected by the hotels or airlines and airports. The association is against the principal of the proposal, as it disagrees with any form of new taxes being introduced. What is more, the hotel sector feel frustrated that the government, while keen to introduce the tax as soon as possible, is unable to provide any detailed information about the proposal. Cañellas warned the government that his association hopes to gets its hands on the final proposal as soon as possible in order to study how the tourist tax can be stopped. The hotel sector is also angry with the Balearic Minister for Tourism, Celesti Alomar, who has gone on the record saying that the tax would not be introduced if it went against the wishes of the tourist sector - in the case of the hoteliers, our stance today is exactly the same as it was a year ago. We agree that the environment needs to be protected and improved, but funds for that should come from central government, Cañellas said, adding that the Balearic government should be going to Madrid and Brussels in search of funds.
Majorcan hoteliers stand firm against tourist tax