The Island Council's Department of Tourism has been looking into allegations made by the Menorcan Hoteliers' Association, ASHOME, that around 2,400 properties advertised on the Internet for tourist letting lack the necessary authorisation. As a result of its investigations the department has only been able to confirm the legality of 468 beds of the 12,600 denounced by ASHOME.
The association's governing body has now decided to take matters a step further and send a letter to the President of the Island Council, Marc Pons, asking him to intervene in the affair and for the Council to exercise its power under Tourism Planning which allows it to carry out inspections and impose sanctions as well as controlling the sector's register of activites.
More action required
The letter calls on the President to take "decisive and urgent" action to halt the commercialisation of villas, apartments and rural houses that are outside the law. According to the association's investigations, there are more rural houses on the tourist letting market that are apparently illegal than there are establishments authorised to operate as rural hotels or accommodation. None of the rural houses denounced by ASHOME have been proven to be operating legally by the Council's inspectors.
The Menorcan hoteliers demand that the Council contacts companies and private individuals who are acting as agents or intermediaries, and who own the web sites denounced by the association, to obtain the names and addresses of all the owners of the villas, apartments and rural houses advertised on those websites.
Insufficient information
The Department of Tourism has responded by saying that the information provided by ASHOME is not sufficient to determine whether or not a property is authorised for tourist letting or has been entered in the Council's register.
However, the department admits that it has only been able to prove that 74 villas, 7 apartments and one house, out of those denounced, do have the necessary authorisation. This leaves the legality of 1,675 villas, 435 apartments, 92 houses and 95 rural houses in question.
Unfair competition
The hoteliers' view is that the rental of unauthorised accommodation (which represents around 25% of the total on offer)could have a negative impact on Menorca as there are no guarantees that customers' rights will be respected or that safety or hygiene standards will be met. They also point out that it would affect the local government as the owners in this sector will not be fulfilling their fiscal obligations.
ASHOME allege that all the places which the Island Council is unable to prove are legal offer unfair competition to those which are above board and pay all their dues.
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