The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has announced his intention to prohibit any new tourist rentals of any kind throughout the entire municipality.
He made the announcement at a press conference reviewing the tourist season, during which he also confirmed that so-called “party boats” will be banned from the seafront promenade from next year.
The City Council will also prohibit the opening of new hostels and will promote the conversion of existing ones into other types of accommodation.
Regarding holiday rental homes, the mayor explained that there are currently 639 legally registered properties in the Balearic capital, and that this figure will remain unchanged. He stated that the measure is expected to be approved as soon as possible – either at the next plenary session or the one following it. Due to the measure’s three-month retroactive effect, no new licences can be issued in the meantime.
The mayor of Palma has framed these measures as part of the City Council’s commitment to improving the quality of the destination and tackling illegal tourism.
In this regard, he pointed out that, according to data from Exceltur, Palma has reduced illegal tourism by up to 18% over the past two years – significantly higher than the average reduction of 3.7% recorded across 25 other Spanish cities. “What is happening timidly in 25 cities is happening strongly in Palma,” he emphasised.
