Spanish mayors voice support for tourist tax in their cities

THE mayors of Malaga, Sevilla and Granada have voiced their support for a tourist tax in Andalucía.

During a meeting in Granada, mayors Marifrán Carazo, José Luis Sanz (Seville) and Francisco de la Torre (Malaga), agreed a tax would strengthen the tourism potential of the cities and help finance services for both tourists and locals alike.

READ MORE: What is the ‘tourism tax’ in Spain and where do I have to pay it?

The mayors want to work with the tourism industry, attempting to find a balance between the everyday life of their city’s residents and the increasing amount of tourists visiting every year.

Carazo, Sanz and De la Torre said the tax should be used only for issues related to the tourism sector. 

However, the Sevilla mayor pondered the possibility of using some of the profits to renovate neighbourhoods in an attempt to combat ‘tourism phobia.’ He wants to show his residents that ‘the benefits of tourism reach the city.’

Carazo also supported using the tax to renovate and preserve historic centres. He suggested the Alhambra plan, which uses visitor profits and regional government financing to rehabilitate historic buildings, be used as an example for this.

READ MORE: Malaga tourism boss says a tourist tax risks ‘destroying the goose that lays the golden eggs’

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