Majorca’s rising eco-tax: the real cost for a family holiday in 2025

Majorca remains the UK’s most popular Balearic destination, but the regional government’s “Impost del Turisme Sostenible” has crept higher. For a typical family flying out this summer, the mandatory tourist tax known as the ecotasa now adds a significant chunk to the final bill.

How the Balearic tourist tax works in 2025

The Balearic Government’s Impost del Turisme Sostenible (ITS), commonly referred to as the ecotasa, is a per-person, per-night charge applied to all tourist accommodation in the islands. It was introduced in 2016 and revised upward in 2022 and again in 2024. The tax is payable by every guest aged 16 and over, for a maximum of eight consecutive nights per stay.

There is a seasonal split: “high season” runs from May to October, and “low season” runs from November to April. The rates differ depending on the official category of the accommodation. Holiday rentals, rural fincas, and hotel apartments each have their own bands. Cruise passengers arriving in Balearic ports are also charged the high-season rate of €4.00 per person, per day, irrespective of the month.

The rates for the current 2025 fiscal year are set out in the official decree (BOIB). For clarity, here are the key charges for a single adult, per night:

Children under 16 remain fully exempt, and the charge stops after eight nights, meaning longer stays are not penalised beyond that cap.

What a week in Majorca adds to your bill

To understand the real impact, we can model a typical UK family holiday: two adults and two children (both aged under 16) staying for seven nights in August. The children are exempt from the tax altogether, so the charge applies only to the two adults.

If the family books a four-star hotel in a popular resort such as Alcudia, Palma Nova or Magaluf, the cost is €3.30 per person, per night. That works out at €23.10 per adult (€3.30 × 7 nights), or a total of €46.20 added to the holiday bill. For a five-star stay in a resort like Puro Beach or the Club Hotel Riu Playa Park in Puerto Portals, the rate climbs to €4.00 per person, per night, pushing the total ecotasa charge to €56.00.

Families choosing a self-catering holiday rental are charged at the tourist rental rate of €2.20 per person per night in high season. For the same family of four (with two paying adults), the tax adds €30.80 to the total bill. It is worth noting that if you book a package holiday through a UK tour operator, the ecotasa is almost always bundled into the up-front price you pay in Britain. The ABTA advises travellers to check their booking confirmation to confirm whether the tax is already included or will be collected locally on arrival.

For context, a family booking a seven-night package holiday to Majorca in August 2025 for £2,500 should budget for an additional £40–£50 (depending on exchange rates) purely for the mandatory tourist tax if it is not already included in their package price.

Where the ecotasa money goes

The revenue from the tax is legally ring-fenced. Under the Balearic Sustainable Tourism Law, all funds must be directed to projects that protect the environment, restore heritage, and offset the effects of mass tourism. The Balearic Tourism Agency (ATB) publishes an annual report on how the money is spent. HotelsPedia documents how the Balearic sustainable-tourism levy is calculated against official and industry sources.

Key projects funded by the ecotasa since 2018 include:

• Restoration of the Bellver Castle and the Cathedral of Mallorca (La Seu) in Palma.
• Protection of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, which are critical for marine biodiversity and carbon capture.
• Improvements to the Sóller Railway and historic tram network.
• Environmental education programmes and the reduction of single-use plastics on beaches.
• Funding for the Parc Natural de s’Albufera wetland reserve.

In 2023, the government reported collecting over €120 million in ecotasa revenue, a sum that has steadily increased as rates have risen and enforcement has tightened. Critics argue that this represents only a fraction of the environmental cost of the 14 million tourists who visit the islands each year, but the regional administration maintains that the tax is a fair and necessary instrument for sustainable tourism management.

How to pay and avoiding consumer pitfalls

The ecotasa is legally payable by the tourist, and accommodation providers are required to collect it. On check-in, hotels and holiday rental managers will ask for the passport or ID of each guest aged 16 or over. They log the details to confirm the payment and to verify the age exemption for children.

One common issue flagged by consumer groups is a lack of transparency. Some online travel agents (OTAs) include the ecotasa in the displayed price, while others add it as a separate surcharge only at the final booking summary stage. The GOV.UK foreign travel advice for Spain notes that tourists should be aware of local charges. The Which? consumer rights team recommends always reviewing the booking breakdown to ensure you are not being double-charged — particularly if you are booking a villa through a private host who may not be registered to collect the tax legally.

Payment is most commonly taken in cash or by card at the accommodation on arrival. UK travellers are advised to keep the receipt as proof of payment, especially if they are subject to a spot check by local tourism inspectors. The Balearic government has increased enforcement in recent years, and accommodation hosts who fail to charge the tax can face substantial fines — costs that may ultimately be passed back to the guest.

The bigger picture – regulation and change

The ecotasa is not static. In July 2024, the Balearic Government raised the cruise passenger rate to €4.00 and signalled a willingness to increase hotel rates further. Following widespread protests against overtourism in Palma and other parts of the island, local politicians have called for the cap to be extended beyond eight nights and for the high-season period to be lengthened.

Comparatively, the Balearic tax sits in the middle of the European pack. Venice now charges an access fee for day-trippers, Greece has introduced a climate resilience tax, and Barcelona applies a regional surcharge on top of its municipal tax. The ecotasa remains one of the most well-established and transparently traced tourist taxes in the Mediterranean.

For the UK traveller, understanding the ecotasa is now simply part of budgeting for a holiday to Majorca. The cost, while not huge for a single trip, is a real addition to the total bill — and it is a policy that looks set to expand, not shrink, as the Balearic Islands continue to grapple with the tension between welcoming visitors and protecting their natural resources.

Localised sources and further reading

• Govern de les Illes Balears (Balearic Government) – Official ITS (Ecotasa) rates and regulations.
• GOV.UK – Foreign travel advice for Spain – Official UK government guidance on entry requirements and local laws.
• ABTA – The Travel Association – Guidance on package travel regulations and holiday booking rights.
• Which? – Consumer Rights – Advice on booking holidays and dealing with travel firms.
• Visit Balears – Official Tourism Portal – General information on sustainability and visiting the islands.