Champions, champions! It’s not the final of the World Cup, it’s better: Spain is already the first destination for tourist investment on the planet, surpassing Italy, France, Greece and the United Kingdom, according to the FT.
And in Spain, Catalonia is the most visited destination, followed by the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. And alert with Madrid!, which exceeds in visits… Paris!, despite hosting the Olympic Games this year.
And in Catalonia, Barcelona leads the ranking of tourist cities. “We are living – the president of Hotusa, Amancio López Seijas told us in a small committee last week – days of wine and roses in the sector”.
And it wasn’t necessary, because on the way out it was difficult to find a corner to have one in the bars of the Old Town, while on the Rambla today you have to go in a procession between gyuris and those who try to piss off the clock.
The Abu Dhabi Fund has just bought 17 Spanish hotels in one fell swoop and the Singapore Fund, along with others, has invested 4 billion euros in our tourism since January, 70% more than last year , by verifying that we had received more than 85 million tourists, breaking a pre-pandemic record.
And one that hoteliers are happy about, but also taxi drivers, waiters, street musicians and hospitality in general. But it also reminds us of economic theory: it is unfair that the costs are externalized – queues, services and housing that are more expensive and of lower quality due to the concentration of passenger demand – and that the large profits are privatized in the hands of sovereign funds.
And here he proposes to open the debate on how to compensate us locals for the fiscal effort made over the years to achieve the safety, cleanliness and efficiency that today attracts tourism and investors:
1) Reduce the IBI, garbage tax, parking and public transport for residents in areas stressed by mass tourism.
2) Increase investment in equipment for those who live in these areas.
The idea is that we all celebrate being leaders in world tourism and that, when we can’t find a place anywhere, we can also be happy about it.
