Redaccion Preferente

💬 In Palma, Mallorca, on May 1st, more than a thousand people marched in a demonstration organized by UGT and CCOO unions, with participation from PSIB, Més, Sumar, IU, and Podemos. Protesters criticized hoteliers amidst ongoing negotiations to increase the wages of 180,000 workers by 8.5% over three years, surpassing inflation expectations. UGT and CCOO demand a 19% raise over three years, referencing a 34.6% wage increase since 2014, 8.3 points above inflation. Hotel employers highlight the sector's 14.8% absenteeism rate, costing €30 million, compared to the national average of 6.7%.

🏖 Tenerife, Barcelona, and Baleares, significant Spanish tourist destinations, are acting illogically against their economic interests. Tenerife experiences its first major tourism sector protest in 47 years due to high absenteeism post-pandemic. Barcelona imposes a traveler surcharge that could cost a family up to €100 per day. Baleares, amid a housing crisis, approves the regularization of 90,000 accommodation spaces out of a housing stock of about 500,000. The actions by local and national tourism lobbies have proven ineffective, suggesting a need for a more impactful, long-term strategy.

🏠 Authorities display differing standards to Uber and Airbnb, impeding the former while hesitating to regulate the latter's impact on housing prices and local communities. New York City stands out for taking action against Airbnb, significantly affecting the city's balance. The debate contrasts Airbnb's claim of democratizing tourism with the challenges in transportation and housing inflation caused by the vacation rental boom.

🏖 Tenerife faces unprecedented labor absenteeism with its first major sector protest in 47 years. Barcelona, still recovering from recent challenges, imposes up to €100/day traveler surcharge. Baleares, amidst a housing crisis and saturation perceptions, regularizes 90,000 lodging places within its 500,000 home inventory. These tourist powerhouses risk damaging their own economies and future prosperity by disregarding traveler satisfaction, service sufficiency, and infrastructure capacities.

🏨 In Mallorca, a collective unconscious belief suggests that hoteliers' gains mean losses for others, leading to political opposition and stigmatization in the media. Initially, ecologists supported Airbnb to democratize tourism but later admitted their mistake upon seeing its negative effects. Despite left-leaning newspapers criticizing vacation rentals, they amplify critiques when targeting major hoteliers. These hoteliers, despite a minimal percentage of their business being local, argue for defending a better future for all against damaging attacks.

🏰 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently advocated for a transatlantic free trade agreement with "zero" tariffs between the EU and the USA, echoing statements by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The US needs inhabitants and their data for tech research competition with China, while Europe requires lower taxes, reduced welfare state expenditure, increased labor dynamism, productivity, entrepreneurial spirit, and cheap energy. UK's King Charles III is prepared to offer the US "associate member" status in the Commonwealth during President Trump's upcoming state visit, a proposal Trump enthusiastically greeted on Truth Social.