reprinted from the London Daily Telegraph
By David Abram Visitors to the Balearic islands will be charged an "eco-tax" from this summer that could add more than £20 to the cost of a family holiday. The charge is being introduced by the recently elected Socialist-Green coalition government of the archipelago, which includes Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca. Airline passengers will be charged 1,500 pesetas (£6), which the government says will be used to ease the load on the over-burdened natural environment. About eight million tourists visit the islands, which have a resident population of just 760,000, each year. They bring in revenue, but leave behind them water shortages and an estimated 90,000 tons of rubbish. The cost of cleaning up is met by local taxpayers. Hazel Morgan, a spokeswoman for the local Friends of the Earth group, based on Ibiza, welcomed the tax and said that she hoped it would "pay for recycling plants and water-treatment centres". Extra cash is also earmarked to set up a national park in Majorca. According to a recent poll carried out by a local magazine, resident opinion is firmly behind the government's plans. In Britain, however, the proposals have been criticised by travel agents. "We're not in favour of taxing tourists," said Keith Betton of the Association of British Travel Agents. "The Balearics should tax local hoteliers, who most benefit from tourism and are better placed to ensure that their elected representatives actually do spend the money in the intended way." The Federation of Tour Operators, which represents 90 per cent of the UK's package-tour industry, fears that the Balearics government is shooting itself in the foot. "Cost is the deciding factor when people are looking for a sunshine break," said the federation's spokesman, Graham Lancaster. "If the Balearics increase the price of a family holiday by £20, people will simply choose somewhere cheaper. We fully support their stated objectives, but an eco-tax is not the way to achieve them." He dismissed the findings of a recent survey conducted by the Christian organisation
Tearfund, which suggested that 59 per cent of Britons would pay more for their holidays if
they knew the money would go towards environmental protection. |