Spain’s Tourist Taxes for 2023 – Everything You Need to Know
However, this has not been welcomed by all destinations in Spain, as those more popular have expressed their concerns regarding over-tourism, and thus, have decided to start applying tourist taxes or raise the fee for the existing ones, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
Barcelona is one of the destinations that has decided to increase the tourist tax for visitors, while the region of Valencia is planning to introduce such a measure by the end of the year.
Barcelona
Barcelona is Spain’s most visited city and since 2012 it has been requiring visitors to pay an extra fee in addition to the region-wide tourist tax.
The fee that Barcelona charges depends on the type of accommodation a visitor chooses to stay and this measure is aimed to help the city deal with over-tourism.
Currently, guests visiting Barcelona and staying in rental accommodation are required to pay a nightly fee of €4, of which €2.25 go to the region whereas the remaining part goes to the city.
Differently from guests staying in rental accommodation, those staying in five-star hotels are required to pay a higher price. Guests staying in five-star hotels in Barcelona pay a nightly fee of €5.25 – €1.75 goes to the region and the remaining part goes to the city.
Cruise passengers who spend over 12 hours in Barcelona also need to pay a fee. This group of travellers is required to pay a fee of €3 to the region and €1.75 to the city.
Even though the fee might seem high for some, the authorities announced that Barcelona’s tourist tax will increase in the next two years.
Euronews explains that the first tax increase will enter into force on April 1, 2023. As soon as the first increase becomes official, travellers visiting Barcelona will be required to pay €2.75, which represents an increase of €1 per night.
The second fee increase will take place next year, on April 1, 2024. According to the authorities, the fee in 2024 will increase to €3.25.
This means that guests visiting Barcelona who chooses to stay in five-star accommodation will have to pay a fee of €6.75 per night, totalling to €47.25 per week per person.
Commenting on the city’s tax increase, the authorities of Barcelona said that they decided to take such a measure in order to attract ‘quality tourism’ rather than a large number of visitors.
“It was the objective sought: to contain the number of tourists and increase tourist income because our model is no longer mass tourism but quality tourism, which adds value to the city,” Jaume Collboni who serves as deputy mayor stressed.
In addition, it has been pointed out that the tourist tax increase will also help the budget of the city. It is anticipated that the fee will bring in around €53 million for Barcelona this year and around €100 million in 2024.
Apart from Barcelona, the whole region of Catalonia also applies a tourist tax. In general, guests staying in the regions of Catalonia have to pay a fee of €3.50 per night when staying in a five-star hotel and €2.25 when staying in rental accommodation.
The Balearic Islands
Just like Catalonia, the Balearic Islands have been applying a tourist tax for all visitors. The Balearic Islands introduced a tourist tax in 2016 and back when such a decision was taken, the authorities said that the fund will be used to make tourism more sustainable.
Currently, all persons over the age of 16 staying in the Balearic Islands are required to pay a fee between €1 and €4 per night.
The authorities reveal that day campers are required to pay a fee of €1 per day, cruise passengers and those staying in cheaper hotels and apartments are required to pay a fee of €2, those staying in mid-range accommodation are required to pay a fee of €3, and those staying in luxury hotels are required to pay a fee of €4.
Data provided by the authorities show that around €12 million years will be raised each year as a result of the tourist tax. Moreover, it has been emphasised that the money will be used to protect as well as maintain the natural resources of the area.
Valencia
Differently from the region of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands which have been applying a tourist tax for years now, the region of Valencia will start doing so at the end of this year.
The authorities of Valencia have announced that they plan on introducing a tourist tax for all travellers staying in the region.
The tourist tax in Valencia is expected to start applying at the end of 2023 or early 2024 and it will apply to all those staying in apartments, hostels, hotels, and campsites, among others.
