Plenty of destinations across Europe have started charging tourists extra fees recently – just check out our round-up of all the tourist taxes that came into effect across the continent last year.
And now one Spanish region popular with holidaymakers has just announced plans to up their fees, with a pledge to allocate 25 percent of the proceeds to housing policies, according to the Mirror.
The area in question is Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain that borders Andorra and France and is home to cities such as Girona and Barcelona.
Discontent towards overtourism has been rife in Spain in recent months, not helped by the fact that the country is set to overtake France as the world’s most visited place by 2040. Several regions across the country have implemented bans on short-term rentals and introduced rules to clamp down on disrespectful behaviour – read more about Spain’s ‘tourism ban’ here.
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Catalonia’s new tourist charge follows the news of a new Sustainable Tourism Law in Andalusia, which is being put in place to address the region’s housing shortage. The tourist tax in Catalonia, which is set to double by the end of 2025, has a similar aim.
According to the Catalan Housing Agency, rental agreements in Barcelona for the second quarter of 2024 soared to almost 70 percent more than the same period in 2014. The local government is taking action by dedicating at least a quarter of the money it earns from the tax to housing policies.
How much will visitors have to pay?
Visitors will be charged between €1.20 and €6 per day across Catalonia, depending on their accommodation. In Barcelona, the tax will begin at €2 per day for those visiting campsites, but will be €7 for guests staying at five-star hotels. Those on cruises docked at the city’s port for more than 24 hours will have to pay €6.
This is all on top of the regional capital’s municipal surcharge of €4 (which the City Council has the right to double). So, with all the taxes added together, it could mean a guest at a five-star hotel in Barcelona pays €15 extra per night.
In 2024, Catalonia raised around €90 million from regional tourist tax, but with these new increases (and assuming visitor numbers would continue to rise at the same rate), that could reach around €200 million annually.
Why not have a read of our guide on how to be a better tourist in Europe’s most visited cities?
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