Barcelona is set to increase its existing tourist tax on overnight staying visitors in October.
It marks the second increase this year and will mean an extra 75c per night charge and see visitors paying €4 per night on top of accommodation fees and a separate regional tourist tax.
The existing regional tax can be as much as €3.50 and is a tiered charge depending on the type of accommodation a visitor is staying in – be it four-star hotel, five-star hotel, or Airbnb locations. Furthermore, cruise passengers who spend less than 12 hours in the cityneed to pay €3, and €2 if staying more than 12 hours.
The city tax has already increased once this year, going from €2.75 to €3.25 in April.
Barcelona’s city council said the increased charge is a further measure to tackle the city’s overtourism challenge and to attract quality tourism visits rather than quantity. Barcelona is the most popular city in Spain for tourist visits.
