Spanish cities ‘at war’ – those that want to tax tourists and those that don’t | World | News by StuffsEarth

A row has erupted between rival cities in Andalucia over whether authorities should impose a tourist tax to help control visitor numbers to the region. Spain has been gripped by anti-tourist mania over the past few weeks and months.

A huge protest in Tenerife in late April saw tens of thousands of locals take to the streets to call for a stop to mass tourism.

The scale of public anger has taken authorities in Spain by surprise, forcing them to consider taking drastic action to reduce tensions.

One proposal put forward to control visitor numbers is the imposition of a tourist tax on all visitors to Spain. Local officials in Andalucia attempted to introduce such a tax in a new bill last December.

Under discussion were proposals to charge visitors between €1 and €5 a night – the fee depending on the number of stars of the hotel.

However discussions became bogged down due to political bickering among the parties involved. The bill has essentially pitted Andalucia’s coastal towns against its inland cities.

The mayors of Sevilla, Malaga, and Cordoba have shown support for the additional charge, while Marbella and towns on the Costa del Sol fear it could scare business away.

Parties to the discussion include Andalucia’s regional government (Junta), local business groups and the Andalucian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP).

No time line has been set for reaching an agreement, with a local government spokesperson saying it’s “better to reach a good solution than a quick one.”

The parties are trying to balance the economic benefits brought by tourism with the strain it puts on local infrastructure and services.

Organisers of the protest in Tenerife said mass tourism was damaging the environment and pricing them out of the property market.

They said many properties were being snapped up by investors who then rent them out to visitors.

The activists also questioned whether tourism was benefitting the Canary Islands, pointing out that many of the hotels, bars and restaurants were owned by offshore foreign entities.