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Spain’s The Costa del Sol region of Andalusia is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Andalusia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture has said that now is not the time to introduce a tax.
Arturo Bernal said Andalusia should “focus on what matters” such as drought and water supply issues.
He said: “I believe we have problems that are so important that we have to solve them in the next year and a half, and it makes no sense to focus on other problems.”
Earlier this week he said: “Now is not the time for a city tax. People talk about a city tax when demand is at its peak, but we have to put it in context.
“Demand may be high, but the results for the sector are not as good as they could be.
“Costs have gone up and we have galloping inflation and this is all very worrying.”
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Bernal said water supply issues in the region should be addressed before any thought is given to city taxes.
Tourist taxes are controversial, but the practice already exists in several popular areas of Spain.
Tourists visiting Barcelona pay a tax that varies depending on the style of accommodation where they stay.
Holidaymakers in the Balearic Islands also pay a tax with the lowest surcharge for camping and the highest for luxury stays.
NOT MISSING
Benidorm Mayor Toni Perez has said: “The government of Benidorm, in line with what is enforced by the sector, has always defended the ‘no and never’ approach to the tourist tax.”
He said forcing visitors to pay a fee was not a good example of hospitality and left a bad impression.
Many European cities charge city taxes, including Venice and Rome in Italy and Paris in France.
Wales is holding a consultation on the introduction of a tax, a proposal that has been met with outrage by some tourism officials.
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