Tourist tax in Barcelona set to rise to €4 per night starting in October

Starting in October, tourists will have to pay a tax of €4 per person per night to stay in Barcelona.

The measure, approved by the city council in July, will increase the current tourist tax from €3.25 to €4.

This price is paid per person per night and is in addition to a Catalan tourist tax that varies according to the type of accommodation and the length of stay.

Barcelona currently collects €95 million from the tourist tax, and the increase will mean an additional €20 million per year for the city.

However, pro-independence Esquerra argues that the direct costs caused by tourism, such as cleaning, security or transport, amount to €142 million, leaving a deficit of around €50 million in the city's coffers.

The new €4 tax is the maximum amount that can be charged by law. To increase it further, the city council is urging the government to amend the law to remove the current cap.

More than 12 million people visited Barcelona in 2023, 7% less than four years ago, before the Covid-19 pandemic.