Traveling to Barcelona is expected to become slightly more expensive starting this October. According to foreign media outlets like Timeout, Barcelona will increase its city tourist tax from 3.25 euros (approximately $3.54) to 4 euros (approximately $4.36) starting October 1st. This is the first increase in six months since the previous raise in April 2024.
Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, stated, “We have decided to raise the tourist tax to address the issue of overtourism. The funds collected through tourist tax will improve the city’s environment.”
Currently, Spain imposes a regional tourist tax that applies to the entire city and a city tourist tax that varies by city. The city tourist tax depends on the duration of stay and the rating of the accommodation.
Starting in October, foreign tourists visiting Barcelona must pay a tax of 7.5 euros (approximately $8.18) per night, based on a 5-star hotel stay. This is the sum of the 3.5 euros (approximately $3.82) regional tourist tax and the 4 euros (approximately $4.36) city tourist tax.
Barcelona collects approximately 100 million euros (around $109 million) in annual revenue from the tourism tax. With this increase, Barcelona plans to raise an additional 20 million euros (approximately $21.8 million) in annual revenue.
Recently, Barcelona has implemented various strategies to tackle the issue of overtourism. In April, the city removed bus routes to tourist-heavy areas like La Salut from online maps such as Google Maps. Then, in June, Barcelona introduced a ban on short-term apartment rentals for tourists, aiming to stabilize the soaring real estate prices that the high influx of visitors has driven up. These measures reflect the city’s ongoing efforts to manage tourism more sustainably and protect the interests of residents.
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