The steep increase was proposed by one of the major local unions as a way to decrease tourist numbers during the Summer months, while providing extra funds to invest in the welfare of the local residents.
On Thursday 23 October 2025, the Workers’ Commissions Union CCOO – one of the two biggest unions on the Balearic Islands including Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera – has put in a proposal to increase the tourist tax to 15 euros per person per day. The augmentation would only apply in July and August but would be a steep increase compared to the current tax, limited at a maximum of €4 per person per day. According to the union, the main goal of the increase would be to send a clear message.
“This is not an increase aimed at raising revenue, but rather a deterrent, so that the Balearic Islands send a clear message to the world that there is no room for more people here during the high season”, Jose Luis Garcia, general secretary of CCOO, declared to the Balearic newspaper Ultima Hora.
52-point action plan
As the proposal comes days after a rejection of the Balearic parliament to consider a bill to double the tax to €8, it is unclear what its outcome will be. However, according to the CCOO, the extra revenue created by the increase could be put to good use for the local residents if put towards improving workplace welfare, vocational training, and housing.
The proposed tourist tax is part of a larger document written by the union, outlining 52 possible measures to be applied to the Balearic government’s sustainability pact. According to the CCOO, the government had promised to increase the tourist tax when the demonstrations against over-tourism reached a high in 2024, yet nothing has changed since.
Other than the tourist tax, in its 52-point action plan, the CCOO also focuses on creating higher-value tourism and tackling the ongoing housing crisis on the islands. To work towards that first goal, the union advises putting a temporary moratorium on the granting of new tourist accommodation, replacing obsolete facilities instead of creating extra ones.
In order to combat the housing problem, the CCOO asks for a limit on rental prices and for the creation of a public housing portfolio of 40,000 homes. Those homes could come from different sources, such as buildings seized from banks or large-scale property owners, empty properties, and new builds. A 2% increase in the regional housing budget and an increased tourist tax could provide the necessary funds for such an initiative.
“In Spain, we built more housing than France and Germany combined until the real-estate bubble burst, with the consequences we all know. More than building, it’s about limiting prices, and until we do that, we won’t reverse the situation”, Jose Luis Garcia stated.
Moreover, the CCOO asks for an objective study of the islands’ tourist carrying capacity. That research should take into account the islands’ natural resources and its floating population, limiting the number of cruise ships and the frequency of flights during the high season. Instead, the tourist influx should be spread more evenly over the year.
Tourism as a hot topic
Over the past few years, overtourism has been a hot topic on the Balearic Islands. Just two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mallorca reduced its number of hotel beds to tackle the issue but as overtourism on the Balearic Islands continued, large-scale demonstrations from locals demanded for a more successful strategy while hoteliers launched campaigns to counter the so-called ‘tourismophobia’. While the government has taken some initiative regarding the matter, such as cutting ties with influencers to curb ‘selfie tourism’, all attempts to increase tourist taxes have failed so far.
