Compromís believes that the climate crisis directly impacts daily life, particularly for students who endure extreme heat in classrooms. While school cooling is a regional competence, the party argues that municipalities need more tools to address climate emergency challenges.
Estimates suggest that climate control for Gandia's educational centers would cost over 850,000 euros, an amount unaffordable for the City Council. This investment could be covered in less than two years with a tourist tax of just 50 cents per visitor per day. According to INE data, Gandia recorded over 1,077,000 overnight stays in 2025, potentially generating around 600,000 euros annually.
The motion also proposes using tourism revenue to bolster the city's green policies and climate resilience, including expanding climate shelters, increasing shaded areas, promoting urban greening, improving public building energy efficiency, and preserving natural spaces.
The initiative advocates for municipal autonomy and sufficient resources for local governments to manage the impact of tourism on public services and the territory. Compromís notes that the tourist tax is established in many European destinations and Spanish regions like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
“"It is incomprehensible that, in the midst of a climate emergency, the Generalitat continues to look the other way while students endure increasingly extreme temperatures in classrooms. School cooling is a regional competence, but families cannot keep waiting."
“"We are not inventing anything. We are proposing a tool that already works normally in some of the main tourist destinations in Europe. Nobody stops visiting Paris, Rome, or Barcelona for having to contribute a few cents a day (we propose €0.50), and contribute to maintaining a more habitable and sustainable city."
The Councilor for Education highlighted the paradox of some sectors viewing the tourist tax as an extravagance when millions of Valencians pay similar contributions when traveling abroad. "We are talking about a minimum contribution of 50 cents per person per night, a perfectly affordable amount for visitors that would have a huge social return," she concluded.
Compromís regrets that the government of Mazón and Pérez Llorca eliminated a tool that provided municipalities with more resources to face present challenges and advocates for its reinstatement as a measure of responsibility, territorial justice, and sustainability.
