Barcelona 'hostile city' for visitors as tourist tax doubles to 15 Euros a night

Tourists visiting Barcelona are facing paying up to €15 (£13) a night for overnight stays in a shock new move.

The Spanish city has voted to double the controversial tourist tax to €8 (£7) by 2029. The decision was taken yesterday by Barcelona council, with officials agreeing: "The more tourists pay, the less residents will have to."

The tourist tax will rise by €1 (£0.87) each year from now on until it reaches the historic high of €8 in 2029. The measure approved will see the surcharge rise to €5 (£4.3) in 2026, €6 (£5.2) in 2027, €7 (£6.1) in 2028, and finally €8 in 2029 - double Barcelona city's current tourist tax surcharge of €4 (£3.50).

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The surcharge is in addition to the Catalan tourist tax, which varies according to the type of accommodation and stay. The Catalan tourist tax is expected to increase later this year, up to €7 per night for five-star hotels, meaning some tourists could face a total charge of €15 in 2029.

"The more tourists pay, the less residents will have to," said Esquerra Republicana (ERC) leader Elisenda Alamany after Friday's council session. Her party proposed the surcharge increase, and the measure passed with support from the ruling Socialists, and Barcelona en Comú. Junts abstained while the People's Party (PP) and Vox voted against.

"Managing tourism is common sense in this city," she said ahead of the vote, stressing that the debate wasn't about being for or against tourism, but about shifting perspective: "Recovering that income allows us to ensure balance and build a successful city." Speaking to reporters after the vote, she welcomed the "solid majority" backing the measure, saying the aim was for tourists to contribute more.

Deputy Mayor for Economy and Tourism, Jordi Valls, expressed the city government's support for the measure, noting that the tourist surcharge already helps fund key areas such as public transport, safety, and climate initiatives. He said they welcomed the phased approach in ERC's proposal, allowing the sector to adapt gradually as the tax increases.

"The city recognises that tourism is a key part of our economy, but there is consensus that it must be properly managed, and that includes the sector itself," he said. The political parties PP and Vox have rejected the increase in the amount of the surcharge and claim tourism is "criminalised". The PP says it will turn Barcelona "into a city hostile to visitors".

The measure is conditional on the Parliament approving, foreseeably in October, a modification of the current limit of this rate. Only with that approval, the city council will be able to include the new calendar of increases in the tax ordinances that must be approved before the end of the year.

Elisenda Alamany said: "Governing tourism is no longer to be on the right or the left, it is common sense. If we do not govern tourism, the city changes and will change and it will be even more difficult to continue living."