Lanzarote calls for UK tourists to be charged as 'island can't take any more'

Growing calls for Lanzarote to follow other Spanish holiday hotspots like Barcelona and the Balearics in introducing a tourist tax would see UK tourists charged per night to stay on the island. More destinations across Europe are introducing daily charges for holidaymakers to help combat 'over tourism' and improve local services that come under pressure from rising visitor numbers during peak periods. The local government for the Balearic Islands, which includes Ibiza and Majorca, recently announced plans to increase their existing levy, while Tenerife intends to start charging tourists from January 1, 2025.

Read more: Birmingham Airport passengers can fly to 'world's best' Christmas market for £22 Now, another of the Canary Islands has seen calls to follow suit. Maria Dolores Corujo, general secretary of Lanzarote's Socialists party, called on the president to apply a tax, arguing that the 'island can't take any more'. The proposed tax would see UK tourists charged a fee for every night they spent on the island, with the funds going towards 'social and environmental purposes'.

Lanzarote witnessed record-breaking visitor numbers this summer, leading to an 'increasing tourist pressure' that Corujo claimed was 'unsustainable' without 'effective measures' to control it. However, Lanzarote news site Gazette Life recently reported that a tourist tax was 'currently not on the agenda' for the ruling Coalición Canaria party. Other European destinations such as Amsterdam, Venice and Barcelona are among those introducing or increasing tourist taxes, which could make travel up to 10 per cent more costly by 2025.

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