Barcelona has doubled its tourism tax to fund affordable housing and curb visitor numbers. Hotel guests paid between €10 and €15 per night from April, up from €5 to €7.50.
Holiday rental guests faced a maximum tax of €12.50 per night, up from €6.25. A quarter of the revenue raised addressed the city’s housing crisis.
Hotel owners expressed concern that the increase deterred the 15.8m annual tourists. Manel Casals shared “One day they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
