Warning issued to tourists as European island proposes to ban holiday rentals
The city council of the Balearic capital has proposed a ban of new holiday rentals and restrictions on cruise passengers and rental cars to limit overcrowding.
The city council of the Balearic capital has proposed a ban on new holiday rentals and restrictions on cruise passengers and rental cars to limit overcrowding.
Palma de Majorca has proposed to charge cruise passengers with two taxes, along with other measures to tackle overcrowding, following Saturday’s mass demonstration.
The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, presented the package of measures on Wednesday in an attempt to alleviate the effects of tourist saturation, which will be debated in the City Council plenary session on Thursday.
The proposal comes after Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic Government, announced the decline of the Balearic Islands and the need to “set limits” a few weeks ago as well as the mass demonstration which took place last Saturday in Palma under the slogan “Mallorca is not for sale”.
Palma’s mayor has announced the prohibition of new tourist rentals in any type of housing, not just flats as is the case at present. This means that when the current moratorium ends, the tourist rental vacancies still allowed by the General Plan will be eliminated.
The new civic ordinance will also oblige takeaway establishments throughout the city to clean the street within 50 metres of their premises.
In tourist areas, such as Playa de Palma, Cala Major and Paseo Marítimo, all establishments will have to keep the outside area clean.
Martínez proposed limitations also include restrictions on cruise ship visitors and limits on rental cars. This includes the restriction or prohibition of certain cruise ships, as well as the charging of two taxes to cruise passengers on arrival at the port and on access to the city.
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Another would be to limit the number of tourist groups visiting the city, which would mean that each tourist guide would have a limit on the number of people, as well as establishing a maximum limit for hire cars to enter Palma. Party boats would be banned or limited throughout Palma.
On Saturday, an estimated 10,000 protesters descended on Weyler Square, where holidaymakers were enjoying their evening. They held banners telling tourists to “go home” and declaring the island “is not for sale”.
Javier Barbero, a spokesperson for Banc del Temps and one of the demonstration’s organisers, issued a stark five-word warning: "This has only just begun", according to local media.
