‘Unfair’ pirate apartments

COSTA BLANCA hoteliers’ association Hosbec questioned Calpe’s ‘100 per cent occupancy’ claims.

The true figure for the first fortnight of August was 87.2 per cent, maintained Hosbec president Antonio Mayor, who said this was partly traceable to non-registered accommodation.

The number of owners renting properties without declaring the income or undergoing any type of inspection was growing all the time, Mayor claimed.

“If airport statistics don’t stop increasing yet the number of overnight stays are going down, then something doesn’t add up. And that something is illegal lets,” he declared.

Hosbec continued to advocate greater control on the part of the Administration to eradicate this unfair competition, continued Mayor. He also called for EU legislation offering better protection for tour operators and their clients.

Calpe’s Tourism councillor Jan Van Parijs agreed with Mayor on this point. “There are 26 letting agencies in Calpe but at times they cannot compete with private landlords who avoid taxes by offering accommodation online,” Van Parijs said.