Tenerife introduces Kurt tax: Relief for locals planned!

Tenerife introduces Kurt tax: Relief for locals planned!

The holiday season is just around the corner, and many Germans are looking forward to their well -deserved break in popular holiday countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain. Tenerife in particular is becoming increasingly popular with German vacationers who put the island in the foreground next to Mallorca. In 2024, Tenerife recorded a record of 18 million tourists from abroad. But the increasing number of tourists also have challenges.

locals feel disadvantaged by the masses of tourists because they bear the loads in areas such as public cleaning, waste management, public institutions, water consumption and security. In order to meet these challenges, the municipality of San Miguel de Abona plans to introduce a tourist tax for tourists. This measure aims to create financial justice and relieve the city administration.

Details on the planned tourist tax

The amount of the planned fee for the tourist tax is still unclear, but it should be collected in tourist accommodations per person per person. San Miguel is based on the municipality of Mogán on Gran Canaria, which introduces a tourist tax of 15 cents per person and overnight stay from April 1, 2025. The income from this fee should flow into the promotion of tourism, environmental protection, the preservation of the cultural heritage and the improvement of local public transport.

In recent years, the number of holiday apartments in the south of Tenerife has grown. Between January and September 2023, 193 new apartments were added, which corresponds to an increase of 24.3 percent, according to the Canary Institute for Statistics (ISTAC). Apartments now make up almost 50 percent of the total tourist offer in San Miguel.

support of locals

The socialist parliamentary group spokesman for the city administration emphasizes that the burdens of the flow of tourists are mainly supported by the residents. In 2024, residents contributed around 70 percent to the municipal budget of 37.8 million euros, while the income tax of the residents earned over 21 million euros. With an average available income of 19,636 euros annually, San Miguel is below the national average of 24,542 euros and the regional average of 22,062 euros.

The efforts to introduce the tourist tax should also be supported by a procedure for citizen participation before the regulation may be passed. The tourism officer Laura Paiz emphasizes the need to coordinate with all the actors involved and to develop a strategic plan. There is already interest from other municipalities of Tenerife to benefit from the experiences of San Miguels and take similar measures.

The discussion about the tourist tax shows how municipalities react to the challenges of increasing tourism and want to maintain the interests of the locals. The coming months will be decisive for how these plans will develop.

For further information on the topic, the articles from Derwesten.de and Tenerife-news.com