Cristina Pedra, Mayor of Funchal, began her speech at the Legislative 2024 conference by confirming that the municipality is preparing for the implementation of the tourist tax in 2024.
“The criterion used for the collection is overnight stays. In this sense, logically, Funchal will collect the largest share of the revenue, given that it is in the capital of the Region where most hoteliers are located. Furthermore, Funchal’s infrastructure is under heavy pressure whether it is drinking water, transport, road infrastructure, or cultural and leisure facilities.
“Tourism plays a fundamental role in the economic, social, labour, and harmonious living fabric, through the creation of direct and indirect jobs, the wealth it generates and because it represents about 29 percent of the Region’s GDP.”
“It’s only fair that tourists contribute to offsetting the impacts. This contribution does not in any way harm the competitiveness of tourism itself. In other words, it is neither fair nor reasonable to ask citizens to bear all these costs, as they are not the only beneficiaries,” she pointed out.
And it is in this context that the Chamber will implement the tourist tax as early as 2024.” The main objective of this tax is to mitigate the social and/or environmental effects caused by tourism activities in the municipality’s activity. Of course, it must be applied with proportionality. But we believe that the existence of the tourist tax should be reflected in the functions that I have previously identified which in turn will allow us, the CMF, to increase the quality of municipal infrastructures and tourism services.”
However, Cristina Pedra considers cooperation between the private and the public sector to be fundamental. “We consider dialogue to be very important,” she said.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
