Spain could soon see thousands of holiday lets shut down as part of a new crackdown on tourist tax evaders.
The Balearic government has passed a decree allowing local councils and town halls to close off illegal holiday rentals. Unregistered tourist apartments and villas, whose landlords are not paying Spain's mandatory tourist tax, will be sealed off. This comes after data suggested there might be up to 8,700 illegal holiday lets in the Balearics alone.
Inspectors now have the power to seal off properties found to be operating illegally, with local authorities also wanting police forces to assist in the inspections. The wide-ranging decree covers numerous issues, including 46 law changes in total. These include measures relating to nature conservation, waste, roads and tourism.
According to one report, there has been a near 10% increase in the number of holiday lets in Spain in the past year.
Just last weekend, over 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Majorca - the largest island of the Balearics - demanding 'immediate measures' from the government to tackle tourist overcrowding.
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Have you been put off from visiting Spain because of the protests? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
Magaluf has been unusually quiet this week (AFP via Getty Images)Tensions between locals and tourists have been escalating in parts of Spain recently, with residents claiming that the surge in tourist numbers has caused rent prices to skyrocket and contributed to a housing shortage, reports Birmingham Live.
The Banc de Temps de Sencelles community group, which spearheaded the protest, handed over a manifesto to the local authorities proposing seven key measures to secure more affordable housing for residents.
The demonstrators are also campaigning for legislation that would restrict foreign nationals from buying property in the Balearic Islands - encompassing Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera - unless they've resided there for a minimum of five years.
Tourism is a major economic driver for the islands, contributing about 45% of their revenue, but the manifesto advocates for a 'controlled' tourism strategy that doesn't dominate their entire lifestyle. The organisation clarified that they're not against tourism per se, stating: "We have to rethink the tourism model."
The protests appear to have had some impact on the number of people visiting the islands. Magaluf is eerily quiet this half term, pictures taken earlier this week show. The normally beloved Majorcan holiday resort appears to be suffering from a drastic drop in the number of tourists, with many local businessowners worried about the dwindling crowds.
Photographs taken on May 27 show deserted sunbeds on the town's beaches and rows of unoccupied tables outside bars. This comes just days after demonstrators marched through Majorca's capital, Palma, demanding the government take 'immediate measures' to address the island's housing crisis and tourist overcrowding. Bar owners are now worried that the "wishes of anti-tourism protesters [have been] granted".
Local newspaper, the Majorca Daily Bulletin, also expressed its concern that Magaluf seemed "unusually quiet" on Monday, stating it was "half empty if that". It reported a sense of unease among business owners about the scarcity of tourists, while others maintained it was still bustling during the weekends.
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