The one-year pause agreed by the three groups to implement the so-called tourism tax means the penalty on tourism, which is the main reason behind this new law, will not take effect before the upcoming municipal and regional elections. Given the blunt public response to the deal, which has damaged the Valencian Community’s key economic engine, supporters have clearly sought to delay the rollout hoping the controversy would subside with time. The arrangement appears designed to blunt the protest sparked since the agreement’s disclosure, as officials pursue a stall in hopes of calmer days ahead.
The left-leaning trio seems intent on pursuing this delay through a possible electoral win in 2024. For now, and thanks to choices like levying the tourist tax, there is something to watch. After a renewed pact by the botanist, there is little confidence in the project, which has remained obscure in terms of its location and purpose, with the postponement left unexplained. Even as the pandemic continues to depress hotel profits across the Valencian Community, especially in Alicante, and the tourism sector faces broad disapproval, the Consell has refused to rethink the measure. The impression is that nationalist sentiment dominates the discussion surrounding the tourist tax and its future.
Add to this the Valencia City Council’s refusal to host a fresh Copa América de Vela, amid silence from the Generalitat Government. The reasons cited extend beyond the notion that it costs money—though that is a common refrain in life. Although the legions of preparations had progressed, the mayor, Joan Ribó, declined to stage a new edition of the event. Barcelona emerged as the favored host, a stroke of luck for the city that would reap substantial benefits. The expected economic impact for Barcelona was projected at about 1,000 million euros, with hotels, restaurants, shops, and seaside resorts cheering the prospect as if it were a modern Olympic Games. The pandemic’s toll on a tourism-driven city, compounded by the war in Ukraine, makes Copa América appear as a potential lifeline. That figure, one thousand million euros, represents an economic injection not readily accessible to every part of the Valencian Community.
The City Council’s stance is consistent with a longer history involving Compromís and Sandra Gómez, the vice-president of the PSPV council. Since taking office, Gómez has signaled that the Generalitat intends to maximize restrictions on new hotel openings and to push back hard against tourist apartments, regardless of whether they fall under tourism policy. The timing of tax payments to the treasury is cited as a major factor, with little concern for neighboring residents. Meanwhile, residents from neighborhoods such as Orriols, Cabanyal, and Malvarrosa continue to protest the decline in living conditions, rising violence, and ongoing drug trafficking, despite Gómez’s promises to find short-term solutions. The situation in Valencia could have looked very different if Gómez had focused on solving real problems and attracting events like Copa América to the city instead of pursuing stricter controls on tourist housing and hotel development.
To complicate matters further, President Ximo Puig faces a precarious position as Valencia Court of Inquiry No. 15 asks the regional High Court to remove Mónica Oltra from her post. If Puig responds, he will need to weigh the options before him. The court’s arguments have been unusually forceful, especially since Oltra and her team have offered little in the way of a direct response. Thirteen members of her team are under investigation for failures to notify authorities of relevant matters or for providing alleged guidance to a minor who suffered abuse and is now stigmatized—an issue that has echoed far beyond regional borders. The case has sparked broader attention given its implications in similar situations.
Both Oltra and Gómez understand that political life has its expiration date. The vice-president of the Consell has suggested she has no intention of resigning even if impeachment moves forward, and Gómez has hinted that Ribó should step aside so she could become the next mayor. Yet such moves are unlikely to satisfy all voters. Citizens have the right to leave politics for any reason, whether they abstained from voting for them or pursued formal complaints in court. The ongoing uncertainty leaves communities seeking stable leadership and practical solutions that can address everyday concerns rather than just political theater.