MADRID, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Tourists in Barcelona could be taxed as much as 15 euros ($17.70) a night after the city raised its tourism fee to one of the highest in Europe on Wednesday as part of efforts to curb visitor numbers and help finance affordable housing.
Authorities in Catalonia have faced increasingly vocal protests from residents about excessive numbers of tourists they say are pushing up housing prices by driving a rise in short-term holiday lets.
The regional parliament of Catalonia approved a law to double the tax for holiday rental guests to a maximum 12.5 euros per night, up from 6.25 euros, ahead of an already announced plan to ban all short‑term rental accommodation by 2028.
Hotel guests will pay a maximum of between 10 and 15 euros per night from April, up from a current 5 euros to 7.5 euros, depending on the hotel category.
A two‑night stay for a couple at one of the four-star hotels that make up nearly half of all hotels in Barcelona could now cost an extra 45.60 euros, as the local authority can charge up to 11.4 euros per night per person.
Guests at five-star hotels could be charged up to 15 euros a night and cruise passengers will continue to pay around 6 euros.
A quarter of the revenue raised will help address the city’s housing crisis, according to the text of the law.
Irene Verrazzo, a 33‑year‑old nurse from Italy, said Barcelona was already very expensive and she doubted she’d return.
“I don’t think this added expense is fair. They already make money from tourists spending in shops, visiting their monuments, etc.,” she said.
The higher tax was unlikely to solve the housing crisis but the hike seemed reasonable, said 21‑year‑old student and local resident Ivan Liu.
Before the tax raise, Barcelona ranked 11th in holiday‑rental platform Holidu’s 2025 list, behind Amsterdam, where tourists paid the most in Europe at 18.45 euros per day.
Hotel owners are concerned the tax rise could drive away too many of the around 15.8 million tourists who visit Barcelona each year. The city ranks among the top four in the world for conventions, according to the local tourism board, and attendees will not be exempt from the levy.
Manel Casals, general director of Barcelona’s hoteliers’ group, said proposals to raise the tax gradually to monitor its effects were ignored.
“One day they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” he said.
($1 = 0.8473 euros)
(Reporting by Corina Pons; additional reporting by Alba Ferrer; editing by Charlie Devereux and Philippa Fletcher)
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