Mallorca hotels deny an ‘unfair’ advantage

MALLORCA’S restaurants and discos say they are “disappointed” that changes proposed for the Balearic Tourism Law will not be as stringent with hotels as they had hoped.

This they say gives hotels and unfair competitive advantage over the islands restaurants and discos, according to local Spanish daily Diario de Mallorca.

Representatives for the island’s restaurant and disco management complain that the changes proposed in the draft of the Balearic Tourism Law will allow hotels to carry out more activities on their premises.

Meanwhile, the head of the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation, Inmaculada de Benito, rejected the accusations while saying that the restrictions planned for the new law do not exist in any other region.

She said that such confrontations could cause the Balearic Islands to miss “a unique opportunity to better compete with other tourist destinations.”

The law plans to reduce the space inside hotels which can be used for food, shops and entertainment without the need of another licence by 30 per cent.

However, the limitation is merely spatial, but does not restrict the number of people who could use the facilities even if they are not staying at the hotel.

Restaurants fear that hotels will be able to offer buffet meals at extremely low prices to anyone coming in off the street.

They will already be preparing the food for their guests, so attracting more clients from outside can only increase profits.

Meanwhile, discos are worried that hotels will be able to organize parties and concerts open to everyone.

They have also complained about the inclusion of “beach clubs”, which are defined as “establishments near the sea which offer animation, food and products for sale”.

These are very popular in Ibiza, and the Melia hotel chain wants to introduce them in Magalluf. The President of the Balearic Discos

Association, Jesus Sanchez, says that the possibility of organizing beach parties can damage dunes and could be against Coastal Laws.

As the restaurant and disco owners’ associations are convinced that councillor Carlos Delgado is giving preferential treatment to hotels, they have gone straight to the Balearic Government President, Jose Ramon Bauza, to complain, requesting a meeting with him to explain the damage the new law could do if approved.

By Staff Reporter
editorial@euroweeklynews.com