Tourists holidaying in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia will pay more taxes for their stay by the end of 2025, as a result of new government measures aimed at tackling the twin issues of overtourism and housing.
Across most of Catalonia, visitors will be charged between €1.20 and €6 per day, depending on their accommodation. But in Barcelona, an overtourism hotspot, the new taxes will start at an extra €2 per day for campsite guests and rise up to €7 for those spending the night at a five-star establishment. Alongside other city-based tourist fees applicable in the regional capital, some visitors could find they are paying an additional €15 per night when the charges are implemented.
🎥 Catalonia to increase tourist tax up to €15 per night
— Catalan News (@catalannews) February 27, 2025
"We'll plan the possibility of increasing the tourist tax in Barcelona with a thoughtful but reasonable raise," Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said
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From campsites to cruiseliners
Although that sum doubles the fee that is currently payable, it was defended as fair by parliamentary spokesperson David Cid. “A person who comes to Catalonia paying €400 or €500 for a night in a hotel can pay €7 more,” he said, speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Cruise passengers, whose numbers are such that they were accused in 2023 by Barcelona’s then-mayor Ada Colau of contributing to a “feeling of collapse” in the city, will not escape the measures either. In addition to the fees for overnight guests in accommodation across the territory, cruisers whose boats are docked in Barcelona will be required to pay up to €6, and those on cruises that stay for more than 24 hours will face tourist charges of €4 per night.
25% of income to go towards housing for locals
In 2024, Catalonia brought in around €90 million from its regional tourist tax policies. The increases are set to raise that income to an anticipated €200 million annually. Authorities have promised 25% of that will go towards housing, which is an issue that has caused well-documented resentment among local residents. Over the last decade, rental costs are recorded by the Catalan Housing Agency as increasing by 70% at a time when income has far from matched that inflation. Other concerns include the overuse of resources such as water.
The problems have led to protests complaining about tourists, graffiti demanding they “go home”, and attacks on tourism infrastructure on the Canary Islands. Government responses so far include restrictions on short-term holiday lets in some regions, as well as recent moves to increase purchase taxes by up to 100% when non-EU residents buy homes.
Whether the moves will make any difference to Spain’s popularity remains to be seen. It recorded 94 million foreign visitors during 2024, a figure that beats all previous annual arrivals data and is only six million fewer than the most-visited country in the world, France.
