Amancio López Seijas, president of the influential Hotusa Group, has voiced strong criticism regarding Barcelona’s decision to double its tourist tax, comparing the increase to tariffs imposed on the city’s crucial hospitality sector. These comments were made during his acceptance of a prestigious business award in Barcelona on Friday.

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A Hefty Price Hike for Visitors

From 1 April, overnight hotel stays in Catalonia will become more expensive following a hike approved by the Catalan Parliament. The increase is particularly steep in Barcelona, where the regional tax component for five-star hotels will effectively double. According to the Generalitat de Catalunya, the regional rate will rise to €3.25, on top of which the city applies its own surcharge.

This municipal surcharge is also increasing, taking the total nightly tourist levy for guests in top-tier hotels to €6.75 per person. The policy allows for further annual increases, potentially pushing the total nightly charge towards €15 in the coming years, making it one of the highest in Europe.

‘A Tariff on Know-How’

Speaking to business leaders at an event hosted by the Gresol Foundation, López condemned what he called “the historical disdain for the service sector, such as tourism.” He argued that the tax hike is a misguided policy that penalises a crucial industry.

“To double the tourist tax is to apply the tariff model to a service sector,” López stated, according to reports in ABC Cataluña. “It is the industry of know-how, and it must be promoted to avoid us shifting towards a speculative economy.”

The hotel magnate, whose Hotusa Group is a major player in the European market, was in the city to receive the Gran Gaudí Gresol Award for his company’s international success. The prize, a bust of the celebrated architect Antoni Gaudí, was presented by the foundation, which has recognised excellence for nearly three decades.

A Broader Vision for Catalan Tourism

López used the platform to outline a broader vision for the future of Catalan tourism. He reminded the audience that the industry has “transformed Barcelona and the whole country” since the 1960s, particularly after the 1992 Summer Olympics and the rise of low-cost airlines. He argued against “demonising” a phenomenon that drives the economy.

“To ensure it continues to generate wealth, we must renew our attractions, for example, with a museum of Modernisme in Barcelona,” he proposed, echoing the city’s focussed on its unique cultural heritage, recently highlighted by the new Gaudí VR experience at the Barcelona Cathedral.

He also directly appealed to public administrations, urging them to “care for and maintain the infrastructures that were until recently a source of pride and are now a cause for concern.” López highlighted the need to reinforce security, warning that “organised crime is arriving in Europe,” and to improve the environments around five-star hotels.

Calls for ‘Administrative Simplification’

Beyond infrastructure, López advocated for public-private collaboration to restore abandoned castles, monasteries, and farmhouses (masías), arguing that recovering the country’s historical heritage is “the guarantee of a sensitive tourism future that seeks experiences.”

He also took aim at bureaucratic hurdles, calling for “administrative simplification.” He criticised a system where, in his view, “a group of people who once passed a civil service exam compulsively produce rules from a supposed moral superiority born from doing nothing.”

The tax increase is part of a wider city strategy to manage the effects of mass tourism. It follows other municipal initiatives, such as plans to fund buildings that ban tourist apartments and recent increases in other local charges, including a 10% jump in the city’s waste tax.

Amancio López, who arrived in Barcelona at 17, has built a hospitality empire from the ground up. The Hotusa Group’s revenue grew by 8% in the last fiscal year to €1.65 billion. The company continues to expand rapidly, and as Barna.News has previously reported, it is on track to surpass 300 hotels this year, with a growing focussed on the luxury market.

In his acceptance speech, López dedicated the award to his team and to small business owners, “who are often the target of disdain, even though it is they who generate employment and local roots.” He remains a firm believer in the entrepreneurial spirit, urging a return to the historic “Catalan bourgeoisie that does not coincide with the speculative economy.”