Concòrdia Proposes Sustainable Tourism Reforms in Andorra

The parliamentary group Concòrdia has submitted about ten amendments to Andorra's general tourism law project, seeking to foster a sustainable tourism model that protects residents' quality of life amid rapid demographic growth and around 10 million annual visitors.

A key amendment requires the government to publish, within one year, a detailed study on the principality's maximum tourist carrying capacity. This would assess environmental and landscape sustainability, balanced development of tourist facilities across parishes, compatibility with housing market stability, responsible water and energy use, and strains on essential public services such as health and mobility. The study must identify the maximum feasible number of accommodation beds, considering territorial impacts, road networks, natural resources, housing access, and visitor experience quality. It would outline public planning scenarios for an "assumible, balanced, and sustainable" tourism framework, addressing risks to public services from recent population increases.

Concòrdia also proposes a new law to overhaul the accommodation stay tax, introducing dynamic pricing that rises during high-demand periods and falls in low seasons to better reflect sector patterns. The tourism minister voiced support for this idea during a recent General Council oversight session.

To boost transparency, the amendments restrict confidentiality in Andorra Turisme contracts. Clauses would be permitted only if explicitly requested by the counterparty, justified by public interest reasons, and approved exceptionally by the Council of Ministers. They could never hide contract amounts or durations. This builds on Concòrdia's prior calls—made several months ago—to disclose costs of publicly funded events like the Andorra Cycling Masters and the agency's director contract, stressing citizens' right to know significant public expenditures.

Addressing road network pressures while public transport improvements lag, the group advocates a mandatory electronic vignette for foreign-registered vehicles. Purchasable via mobile apps or digital platforms before or upon arrival, fees would scale with stay duration, vehicle type, and road usage intensity. Residents of neighbouring border regions would receive exemptions to support cross-border relations.

Other proposals urge integrating cultural and environmental preservation into tourism policy, while quantifying tourism's effects on core services.