Mallorca Tourist Tax: How Much You'll Actually Pay

Wondering about the Mallorca tourist tax? Here's how much the ecotax actually costs, who pays it, who's exempt, and what it's spent on.

TRAVEL BLOG

8/15/20263 min read

Mallorca Tourist Tax: What You'll Actually Pay

If you've booked a hotel or apartment in Mallorca and noticed a small extra charge waiting for you at check-in, you haven't been scammed, that's the tourist tax. Officially it's the Impuesto sobre Estancias Turísticas (ITS), most people just call it the ecotax, and it applies across all four Balearic Islands, not just Mallorca. Here's exactly what it is, what you'll actually pay, and where the money goes.

What is the ecotax, and why does it exist?

The ecotax has been running since 2016, under a law called Ley 2/2016. It's a per-person, per-night charge on stays in registered tourist accommodation, and the revenue is legally earmarked for environmental protection, cultural heritage projects, and managing the pressure that mass tourism puts on the islands. Given how much of Mallorca's appeal comes from beaches, coastline and countryside staying genuinely nice rather than overrun, it's one of those taxes that's easier to accept once you know what it's funding. Our piece on Mallorca's overtourism debate goes into more of the wider context if you're curious.

How much you'll actually pay

Rates depend on the type of accommodation and the season. For the main summer season (1 May to 31 October), the standard per person, per night rates are roughly:

Five-star and four-star superior hotels, top-tier apartments: around €4
Three-star superior and four-star hotels: around €3
One, two and three-star hotels, holiday rental homes and villas: around €2
Hostels, campsites, pensions and rural hotels: around €1

Add 10% VAT on top of whatever the tax works out to. Outside high season, rates drop significantly, generally down to roughly a quarter of the summer rate.

Here's a genuinely useful worked example: two adults staying 10 nights in a mid-range holiday rental in July would each pay the standard rate for the first 8 nights, then a reduced rate for nights 9 and 10, since there's an automatic 50% discount from the ninth consecutive night at the same accommodation. Add VAT on top and you're looking at somewhere around €35-40 per adult for that stay, not per couple, per person. Budget for it per traveller, not per room.

A word of caution on exact figures: rates here are based on the standard 2026 published rates, but there's been ongoing political discussion about raising them further, potentially up to €6 a night at the top end. As of writing this hasn't come into force, but tourist tax rates are exactly the kind of thing that can shift between when you book and when you travel, so it's worth double-checking current rates on the ATIB (Agència Tributària de les Illes Balears) website or with your accommodation shortly before your trip rather than relying on any article, including this one, as the final word.

Who actually pays it, and who's exempt

The tax applies to anyone aged 16 or over staying in registered tourist accommodation anywhere in the Balearics, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Formentera. Children 16 and under are fully exempt, no charge at all.

Cruise passengers are generally liable too, charged per night in port, with an exemption for passengers whose home port is actually in the Balearic Islands.

The tax is collected by your accommodation, not something you need to pre-pay or organise yourself. Most hotels and holiday rentals add it as a separate line item at check-in or on your final bill, so don't be alarmed if the total doesn't match exactly what you booked online, this is almost always why.

Does it apply to every type of stay?

Yes, essentially all registered tourist accommodation is covered: hotels of every star rating, licensed holiday rental villas and apartments, agrotourism and rural hotels, hostels and campsites. If you're renting privately through a properly licensed platform, expect it to show up. If a rental doesn't mention it at all, it's worth double-checking the property is actually licensed to operate as tourist accommodation in the first place, since that's a separate issue worth knowing about regardless of the tax itself.

Where the money actually goes towards

By law, ecotax revenue is directed into environmental and sustainability projects across the islands, coastal and countryside conservation, protecting the Serra de Tramuntana and other natural areas, cultural heritage restoration, and managing the practical strain that high visitor numbers put on infrastructure and public spaces. It's not a general revenue grab, it's specifically tied to keeping the island the kind of place worth visiting in the first place.

Final thoughts

The ecotax genuinely isn't going to break anyone's holiday budget, a few euros a night per person, less than a coffee most days. The bit that actually catches people out is being surprised by it at check-in rather than knowing it's coming. Now you do, budget a small amount per person per night, expect it as a separate line on your bill, and you won't think twice about it once you're actually here.

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Happy holidays and ¡nos vemos en la isla! 🌞

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