Acute housing shortage

Spain wants to make tourists pay even more

Lloret de Mar in summer: mass tourism is now making some locals aggressive.(Bild: insideportugal - stock.adobe.com)

The Spanish region of Catalonia attracts large numbers of tourists with tourist magnets such as Barcelona and Lloret de Mar. But not everyone is happy about this - because the onslaught has led to a real housing shortage.

Of course, the tourism industry is happy about the ringing tills. However, the rush puts a strain on the infrastructure, causes environmental problems and increases the cost of living. To put a stop to this, tourist taxes are being doubled this year.

At least 25 percent of the revenue is to be used to combat the housing shortage, as the state TV station RTVE and other media reported, citing the regional government. In Barcelona, up to 15 euros per night and guest will be charged in future.

The agreement between various parties provides for the accommodation fee charged by the region to be doubled; it is graded according to location and the category and type of accommodation. In addition, all municipalities in Catalonia will in future be able to levy a municipal surcharge of up to four euros, as was previously only allowed to be collected by the regional capital Barcelona. Barcelona will be allowed to double the surcharge from four to eight euros.

For example, guests staying in a three-star hotel in Girona, who currently only pay 0.60 euros per night, could be asked to pay up to 5.20 euros in future. This amount is made up of the future overnight tax of 1.20 euros and a municipal 4-euro surcharge. The individual city councils will decide for themselves whether to apply the surcharge and include it in their tax statutes.

Hoteliers opposed the increase
Hotelier associations had spoken out strongly against the increase because it could deter tourists. David Cid, spokesman for the left-wing Comuns party, which often supports the government of socialist Salvador Illa in the regional parliament, disagreed: "A person who comes to Barcelona and pays between 300 and 400 euros for an overnight stay in a hotel can easily pay seven euros more." Many Catalans are "very poorly off, so tourists can make a small effort", he said.

More and more protests against mass tourism
Demonstrations against mass tourism became more frequent throughout Spain last year. In Barcelona, tourists were sprayed with water pistols. With 19.9 million visitors - almost 10 percent more than the previous year - the region set a record in 2024. It is the most visited region in Spain, well ahead of the Balearic Islands (15.3 million).