Raising the tourist tax to as much as €4 per person per day, depending on the type of accommodation used, will help fund ecological projects, authorities say, as well as encourage holidaymakers to visit out of season.
A local parliament vote on the changes is taking place later this week, with a view to raising the tariffs in January.
The new rates, if approved, will be €1 per person per day for campers and hostel guests, €2 for cruise passengers and those staying in cheaper hotels and apartments, €3 for mid-range accommodation, and €4 for top-end hotels. Those under the age of 16 will be exempt and rates will be reduced during the winter months (November-April).
A record 7.9 million people visited the Balearic Islands between January and July this year, up 7.5 per cent on the same period in 2016. As many as 500 cruise ships now dock in Palma each year, depositing up to 22,000 passengers a day.
This is an excerpt from an article originally published in the Daily Telegraph
