New tax on the Balearics Millions of British holidaymakers going to the Balearics (Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera) this summer face an eco-tax averaging around €1 per person per night from May 1. The plan is to vary the amount according to the kind of accommodation: those staying on camp sites would pay less than €1 while at the other end of the scale people staying in five-star hotels might pay €2. This would add the equivalent of £70 to some families' two-week holiday.
The money collected - it is expected that £36m will be raised in the first year - will be used to fund a programme to revamp tourist areas and protect heritage sites. Children under 12 and pensioners would be exempt.
The Balearics institute of tourism director, Tiffany Blackman, said this week: "All visitors will pay the environmental charge at the end of their stay when they pay their extras bill at their accommodation."
The Balearics government wants to lose the image of a low-quality, low-cost package holiday destination. They want "a new tourist model based on sustainable development that improves the quality of life of tourists and residents, a tourism that respects the environment, nature, heritage and culture of the Balearics, the islands' major attractions, the lack of said respect being the current cause of most visitors' complaints - a tourism of quality, the benefits of which are enjoyed by everyone".
In excess of 3m UK tourists a year visit the islands where tourism accounts for more than 80% of GDP.
Wheelchair-friendly travel
An interactive website to help young disabled travellers in the UK is being set up and is asking people for input on the best places to visit around the country. Katie Glassboro, who is creating the site with the help of a Millennium Award, said: "It's designed to be an interactive aid to travel, a forum for young disabled people to share insider knowledge of their areas. We are looking to create an information pool - which pubs/clubs are cool and wheelchair-friendly, what local transport is like, which galleries/ museums/cinemas are worth a visit and what access is like for disabled people." Contact KGlassboro@aol.com.
Nutty insurance claims
Club Direct, a travel insurer, has confirmed that holidaymakers hit by falling coconuts will be covered under its policy. The news follows reports from Queensland, Australia, that local councils are uprooting coconut trees for fear of being sued by people injured by falling coconuts.
According to Brent Escoot, Club Direct's managing director, around 150 people a year are killed worldwide by coconuts, one of the world's largest seeds. His company is offering a 10% discount on travel insurance for visitors to Australia (0800 0744556).
Zagoria correction
In last week's cover story, we gave details of a Tapestry holiday which was not in Zagoria, the region we highlighted, but in Zagora, which is in the Pelion peninsula on the other side of Greece. Companies that do operate in Zagoria include Travelux (01580 765000) and Filoxenia (01422 371796).
