The Parliament of Catalonia has given final approval to a contentious law: the region’s tourist tax will significantly increase from April 1st. Championed by a coalition of left-wing parties, the levy will double for visitors staying in Barcelona this year. Conversely, the rest of Catalonia will experience a phased 50% increase over the next three years, sparking alarm within the tourism sector.
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After nine months of negotiations, the law passed on Wednesday with 68 votes in favour from the Socialists (PSC), Esquerra Republicana (ERC), and Comuns, against 63 votes from the right-leaning bloc of Junts, PP, Vox, and Aliança Catalana. The far-left CUP abstained, deeming the measures “insufficient.”
A Two-Tier System
The new legislation creates a two-speed system for the tax hike. In Barcelona, which receives the vast majority of the region’s 16 million annual visitors, the increase will be immediate and substantial. From April, tourists staying in a five-star hotel will pay up to seven euros per night in regional tax, plus a municipal surcharge. This surcharge is also set to rise; some reports suggest the combined nightly fee could reach 15 euros by 2029.
Cruise passengers docking in Barcelona for less than 12 hours will also face a higher charge of six euros. In the rest of Catalonia, the increase will be more gradual. A first rise will take effect on April 1st, but the full increase, which will eventually double the current rate, will not be fully implemented until April 2027. The maximum regional rate for a five-star stay outside Barcelona will be capped at 4.50 euros until March 2027, before rising to six euros.
In a significant change, the law also empowers municipal councils outside Barcelona to introduce their own surcharge of up to four euros. These councils will have the autonomy to decide which types of accommodation the surcharge applies to and during which seasons, a measure intended to encourage off-season tourism and better manage visitor flows.
Funding Housing and Tourism Management
A key provision of the new law dictates how revenue will be spent. The Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government, will allocate 25% of the total revenue to housing policies. This aligns with a central goal of Catalan President Salvador Illa’s administration: tackling the city’s acute housing shortage, a problem exacerbated by tourism pressure. Additionally, the city plans to tackle holiday lets, with a new policy meaning tourist flats will hit the sales market, not rentals, by 2028.
The remaining 75% of funds will be directed to the Fund for the Promotion of Tourism, intended for improving infrastructure and managing industry impacts. In parliament, the PSC’s Susana Martínez defended the measure, arguing it was “common sense that those who use public services contribute to their maintenance.” She insisted the tax has no discernible impact on visitor numbers, a point the industry contests.
Industry Voices Concern Over “Tourismophobia”
The tourism sector has reacted with apprehension. Jordi Clos, president of the Barcelona Hotel Guild (Gremi d’Hotelers), expressed “concern” about the tax’s effect on business. He stated, “It will be necessary to monitor the impact this measure may have so that it does not lead to a qualitative and endemic decline,” noting that hotel occupancy in Barcelona saw a slight dip of 0.7% in 2025.
The criticism was sharper from the Girona Tourist Apartment Association (ATA), whose president, Esther Torrent, warned the policy would “kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.” In a statement, she called the tax hike “bad news for the country,” and pointed out that “the majority of tourists on the Costa Brava are Catalan.”
Right-wing opposition parties echoed this sentiment. Maite Selva of Junts criticised the law as “improvised” and one that “demonises” tourism. More forcefully, the PP’s Àngels Esteller claimed the tax positions tourists as the “enemy,” arguing the government had “elevated to the rank of law the tourismophobia of the Comuns and ERC.”
A Political Balancing Act
The approval of the tax represents a rare point of unity for the left-wing parties, who have struggled to find common ground on other key issues, including the stalled Catalan budget. David Cid of the Comuns argued the tax ensures “tourists contribute a little more” to offset the increased demand on services like security, cleaning, and healthcare.
The move places Barcelona among the European cities with the highest tourist levies, as local authorities grapple with the negative externalities of mass tourism. It is part of a broader strategy to rebalance the city’s economy and improve quality of life for residents, a strategy that also includes managing protests over issues like tourist bus routes and introducing new fiscal measures such as the city’s ‘Amazon tax’. For visitors, however, it means the price of a Barcelona getaway is set to rise.
