Starting in April, Barcelona imposes one of the highest tourism taxes in Europe

Barcelona is expected to impose a tax on tourists of up to 15 euros ($17.7) per night, one of the highest in Europe, as part of its efforts to limit visitor numbers and contribute to financing affordable housing.
Authorities in Catalonia are facing growing protests from residents over huge numbers of tourists who they say are pushing up housing prices by increasing short-term rentals of holiday homes.
Catalonia’s regional parliament has approved a law doubling the tax on holiday home guests to a maximum of €12.5 per night, up from €6.25, ahead of a previously announced plan to ban all short-term rental accommodation by 2028.
As for hotel guests, they will pay a maximum of 10 to 15 euros per night starting in April, up from 5 to 7.5 euros, depending on the hotel category.
The cost of a two-night stay for two people in a four-star hotel, which makes up nearly half of Barcelona’s hotels, may reach an additional 45.6 euros, as local authorities have the right to impose fees of up to 11.4 euros per night per person.
As for guests of five-star hotels, fees may reach 15 euros per night, while cruise ship passengers will continue to pay about 6 euros.
The law stipulates that a quarter of the revenues collected will contribute to solving the city’s housing crisis, and Irene Ferrazo, a 33-year-old Italian nurse, said Barcelona is already an expensive city, and she doubts she will return.
She added: I don’t think this extra cost is fair, as they already make money from tourists spending in stores, visiting monuments, etc.
Ivan Liu, a 21-year-old student and city resident, said the higher tax was unlikely to solve the housing crisis, but the increase seemed reasonable.
Hotel owners fear that raising the tax will deter a large number of tourists who visit Barcelona annually, amounting to about 15.8 million tourists. The city is ranked among the top 4 cities in the world in terms of hosting conferences, according to the local tourism authority, and attendees will not be exempt from this tax.
The general manager of the Barcelona hotel owners group, Manel Casals, said that the proposals to raise the tax gradually to monitor its effects were ignored, and added: There will come a day when the main source of income will be eliminated.