The Council of Mallorca has responded to criticism from the CEO of Meliá Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer, that there is a lot of talk but little being done in the fight against illegal holiday letting. Escarrer made his comments earlier this week, also questioning how tourist tax revenue from the Balearic Government was being used for this purpose.
On Wednesday, the Council's tourism department insisted that the fight against illegal competition was one of its main priorities. "This not only harms the sector that complies with regulations, it also creates serious problems for coexistence." To address this, an action plan has been designed, which involves cooperation with the Tax Agency, town halls and accommodation websites.
The department points to a trebling of inspections in 2024. These were for all illegal operations, not just lets, and amounted to 3,569. In 2023 there were 1,128. Specific to illegal holiday rentals, inspections increased from 400 to 504.
In addition to intensifying inspections - there will have been more than 3,000 between May and October - the department emphasises a strengthening of its internal structure. It has doubled the number of control areas, increased the number of inspectors from 20 to 30, created a call centre that handles more than 1,500 calls per month, and centralised all services in a single building.
The Council highlights "unprecedented advances"- agreement with Airbnb to remove illegal listings and the tie-up with analysts Talk & Code to arrive at a complete snapshot of the island's unregistered tourism offers. "We want Mallorca to be the first destination capable of having a real-time snapshot of illegal offers."
Tourism councillor José Marcial Rodríguez stresses: "We will not tire of defending those who do things properly or of prosecuting those who do not. We will not tire of promoting policies aimed at eradicating illegal tourism offers. We are committed and will continue to act in a real and effective manner as guarantors of coexistence and the sustainable development of tourism in Mallorca."
A couple of weeks ago, the Habtur holiday rentals association questioned Council figures for the advertising of illegal holiday lets - 40% of the properties were illegal, a monthly average of 7,978. "We strongly doubt the reliability of these figures."