During her participation in the Spain Talks 2026 forum, the mayor emphasized that the debate on tourist taxes should not overshadow the fundamental problem of insufficient resources. Cities like Torremolinos, with a registered population of approximately 75,000 inhabitants, often see this figure multiply during peak season, leading to an overload of essential services such as cleaning, security, urban maintenance, and infrastructure.
“"The debate cannot be limited to whether or not there is a tourist tax. The underlying problem is that tourist municipalities are providing services far beyond our registered population, yet we still lack funding adapted to this reality."
The municipal representative stressed that while tourism generates wealth and employment, the economic return is not proportionally distributed to local councils, which bear the daily burden of maintaining public services. Therefore, she urged the Spanish Government to address this situation from a structural perspective, either by reviewing the funding model or by creating specific instruments that allow local authorities to better cope with the added effort.
In this context, the tourist tax is presented as a potential tool, but not as the central focus of the discussion. The mayor argued that if its implementation were considered, the Government should establish regulations that guarantee legal certainty and allow each local council to freely decide on its application, based on their specific needs and local reality. She insisted that any such measure must be linked to clear principles: local management, direct return to the municipality, and allocation of resources to real needs arising from tourist pressure.
“"Torremolinos wants to remain a leading destination, but it also wants to remain a livable, well-maintained city with quality public services. And for that, the Government needs to address the real problem once and for all: how tourist municipalities are funded."
Torremolinos' participation in this international meeting underscores the importance of ensuring the sustainability of tourist destinations, which implies securing the financial sufficiency of municipalities. The mayor concluded by calling for a serious and useful debate, free from preconceived notions, to address the shared reality of many Spanish tourist municipalities: that the effort required to sustain tourist success has not been matched by proportional funding.
