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Illegal tourist accommodation detected on fifty websites

A total of around 12,645 beds are offered on the web sites, the majority of which are suspected to lack the necessary licences and permissions

Tourism. ASHOME has asked for action to be taken against property owners letting illegally

C.M.W.Maó24/05/10 0:00

The Menorcan Hoteliers' Association (ASHOME) has passed on to the Councillor for Tourism, Lázaro Criado, detailed information regarding fifty web sites, offering a total of 12,645 beds, to see if the tourist accommodation has been duly authorised. The association has asked that appropriate action be taken if the relevant permissions have not been granted. Although ASHOME sent the first letters to the Councillor in January, not one reply had been received by last Saturday.

The fifty applications sent by the association were accompanied by documents giving details of each villa, apartment or country house offered for holiday lets on the pages in question, together with printouts showing "irrefutably" that these were intended for tourist accommodation. Approximately 6 of every 10 pages analysed were British, the remainder being local or from the Spanish mainland. Some of the pages only provided a telephone number for contact, with no indication of the identity of the person or persons offering the service.

The study was carried out after the need for such action was put forward by ASHOME's governing body at a General Meeting. The documents contain information on some 450 apartments (equivalent to 1,300 beds), 1,700 villas (with just over 10,400 beds), around one hundred country houses (offering 500 places) and some 120 flats with a further 350 beds. The association is asking that all these be studied to see whether or not they have the necessary authorisation as laid down in the General Tourist Law of 24th March 1999 and Decree 60/2009 of 25th September.

Under the General Tourist Law, it is obligatory to obtain permission for a tourist activity in advance. The same law makes the Tourist Administration responsible for inspections and fines with regard to tourist activities on the island.

With regard to tourist accommodation, Decree 60/2009 makes it obligatory for such properties to be listed in the corresponding Island Register, and the General Register for Companies, Activities and Tourist Establishments.