Mallorca campaigners demand €5 daily tax for cruise ship passengers

Concerns continue to grow over the impact of mass tourism on the popular Balearic Islands

MSC Preziosa in the harbour of Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Mallorcan campaigners in Palma have called for the introduction of a daily €5 fee to be paid by cruise passengers to the busy port, plus a two-liner-per-day limit on cruise ships docking in the city.

The Fins Aquí Hem Arribat campaign group, comprised of concerned local residents and environmental groups, presented a document with five concrete measures to address the ongoing challenges mass tourism has brought to the region. According to Radio Mallorca, the collective argues that government bodies lack the initiative and drive to reduce the impact this is having on local communities.

This comes just one month after the same group protested the arrival of the Symphony of the Seas cruise liner to the port.

Jaume Adrover, the group’s spokesperson, proposed the creation of a Controlled Emission Zone (ECA), as already exists in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel. This would require shipping companies to change to more expensive but less environmentally damaging fuel, in an attempt to improve air quality.

A further request appealing for transparency was made to the Port Authority regarding the data it collects on air quality, the treatment of waste on ships and the use of water. The group claims they have not had access to this data since 2016.

The number of cruise passengers arriving in the ports of the Balearic Islands has grown by 134.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, reaching 174,756 tourists, according to data from the Port of Spain. Campaigners claim that on one day alone this year, seven cruise ships arrived at the capital’s port carrying 5,000 people.

The Balearic Islands welcomed 45 cruises in the first three months of the year, 80 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2017.

The new proposal follows controversy regarding the recent 100 per cent increase in the sustainable tourism tax imposed on visitors to the popular Balearic Islands, which took effect from 1 May and runs to 31 October. The tax will be used to fund environmental and conservation initiatives, historic and cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism, including training with an emphasis on low-season employment.