Ben Pawlowski
HOLIDAYMAKERS set to pay a visit to one of Spain’s most popular regions over the coming months will breathe a sigh of relief after local lawmakers pushed back plans to hike Catalunya’s tourist tax.
Originally, a proposal to double visitor levies was set to come into force in May 2025, with visitors staying in swanky five-star hotels forced to fork out up to €7 per night.
Combined with Barcelona’s city tax, that means a single tourist visiting the Catalan capital could have to cough up €15 for each night of their stay.
But the planned rise has now been postponed until at least April 2026, according to El Periodico, with the region’s ruling socialists opting to pass the legislation with a bill in parliament rather than a decree.
Seeking parliamentary approval instead of passing the legislation via a decree will allow the government, headed by Salvador Illa, a key ally of prime minister Pedro Sanchez, to circumvent legal challenges from opponents of the move, such as hoteliers.
Under Catalan laws, changes to the region’s tax code can only come into force in April or October – and the bill will not be ready for debate next month.
READ MORE: Politicians in Spain’s Barcelona vote to DOUBLE tourist tax by 2029
As part of the plan, at least 25% of revenue gained from the tax will be spent on housing policies in an effort to alleviate the region’s accommodation shortage.
Some locals believe lodgings used by tourists should be repurposed for city residents, many of whom have been driven out of the city center and towards the suburbs as rental prices skyrocket.
Earlier this year, Barcelona’s city council agreed to double visitor levies, with the local leader of the left-wing, pro-independence ERC, Elisenda Alamany, stating: “The more tourists pay, the less residents will have to.”
Barcelona collected €106.5 million from tourist taxes in 2024 – its third largest revenue source after property tax and capital gains tax – with money funnelled back into local projects including public-space improvements, tourist flow management, cleaning, street lighting, public transport and security.
Last year, Catalunya earned over €90 million from levies applied to visitors, an increase of around €5 million from 2023.
A record 19.9 million international tourists visited in 2024 – making Catalunya the most popular region for foreign guests in Spain.
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