If you haven’t been to Barcelona, you almost certainly know someone who has. The capital of Catalonia – famous for its modernist architecture, world-renowned museums and contemporary foodie scene – welcomed 16 million visitors last year, a figure that has been rising significantly since its post-pandemic levels of around 12.4 million in 2022.
As a result, the city saw some of the largest anti-tourism protests in June 2025, when major cities across southern Europe protested against over-tourism and its local impact.
In Barcelona, many residents feel that the city’s “touristification” contributes to its growing housing and affordability crisis, overcrowding, loss of local culture, and environmental strain. In June 2024, Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced plans to ban short-term rentals by 2028. The Catalan government has also announced that it will increase tourist taxes in the region, with visitors to Barcelona soon having to pay more for an overnight stay.
Starting in April, those planning to visit Barcelona will have to pay double the current tourist tax for overnight stays, in a bid to help reduce tourist numbers ahead of the busy summer season.
Those staying in holiday rental apartments will pay a maximum of €12.50 per night, which will be an increase from €6.25, making it one of the highest levies in Europe.
But visitors staying in hotels will see the sharpest increase, with taxes reportedly increasing from between €5 and €7.50, to between €10 and €15, depending on the hotel’s star rating.
According to the law enacting the tourist tax, 25 per cent of the revenue raised will be spent on the city’s housing crisis. However, the plans have received some backlash, particularly amongst hotel owners who are concerned the tax rise could drive away too many visitors.
Manel Casals, general director of Barcelona’s hoteliers’ group, said that plans to raise the tourist tax gradually, in order to monitor its effects, were ignored.
“One day they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” he said, according to Reuters.
