The new board of the Association of Tourist Accommodation of Small and Medium Enterprises of Ibiza and Formentera regrets the lack of resources, mainly from the Consell Insular, to regulate tourist rentals, fight against intrusion or carry out more inspections. "They should have more resources and staff and enforce the law. We believe that more could be done," they reiterate. The institution assured this week that it will soon present its annual plan to combat irregular rentals.
As the new president of AVAT, José Antonio Llano says that he takes up the position with "enthusiasm and responsibility" and "with the desire to continue the work of the previous board". In fact, as he explains, the new leaders will continue to hold, among other things, the congress that annually analyses the situation of the sector. "We are waiting to find out what the new law will bring. Intrusiveness is still our main threat, as well as the scams that take place on the Internet, which are very damaging to the island's image. This is one of the important points to improve," he insists.
Regarding the prices of tourist homes, Llano explains that they depend on demand "and we are lucky that Ibiza is a product in great demand worldwide, although it is true that not everything goes".
"The prices have to be in line with the quality offered, not exorbitant. In some cases this is the case, but in others it is not. People are raising the price madly, but there will come a time when it can be counterproductive for us. Competing markets are emerging and the customer, even if Ibiza has a big name, compares prices. If the island is expensive and you don't offer a product in line with what people are paying, it can be detrimental," he says. Regarding the sanctions imposed on platforms such as Airbnb, which the government has fined 300,000 euros for offering irregular tourist accommodation, Llano explains that "in principle we are not against these platforms, but they should compete on equal terms with other marketers".
The Association of Tourist Housing and Accommodation is one of the associations of the employers' association Pimeef. It has around 30 associated marketing companies, as well as 200 private owners. In 2017, a survey revealed that 77.78 percent of its members had a worse August than in 2016. At that time, AVAT already warned that intrusiveness had become one of its main battlefields.
Sonia Ribas - Ibiza
