Tourist tax in Barcelona: In the top 5 of the most expensive taxes in Europe

Barcelona's tourist rate is a tax that tourists must pay for every night of stay in the city . This rate applies to all overnight stays in tourist establishments , including hotels, tourist apartments, campsites, and other similar accommodations.
As of October 2024, the Barcelona City Council was applying a surcharge of 4 euros for speech for the stays in the city.
After several months of dialogue, Comun spokesman in the Parliament, announced this Thursday a pact with the Government of the Generalitat to double the current surcharge from € 4 to € 8 . If this surcharge finally applies, Barcelona would become the city with the most expensive tourist rate in Europe.
To this surcharge of the City Council, you have to add the general rate (common rate in Catalonia) by type of establishment to know the total tourist rate.
Currently, Barcelona's tourist rate is in the top 5 of the most expensive tourist rate in Europe .
These rates and surcharges help finance the maintenance of tourist infrastructure and the promotion of the city as a tourist destination.

Current rates and surcharges currently in Barcelona

What is the Barcelona tourist tax for?

Barcelona's tourist tax has several purposes, all focused on improving and maintaining the infrastructure and services related to tourism in the city. Some of the main uses of this rate include:

• Maintenance of tourist infrastructure : Funds for the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure used by tourists, such as monuments, museums, and public areas.
• Tourism promotion : Investments in marketing and promotion campaigns to attract more visitors to the city.
• Public services : Improvement of public services such as security, cleaning and transportation, which are used by both residents and tourists.
• Sustainable development : Initiatives to promote sustainable and responsible tourism, minimizing the environmental and cultural impact of mass tourism.
• Support for local culture : Financing of cultural events and activities that preserve and promote local culture and traditions.
• Tourism diversification : Investments to develop new tourist attractions and experiences, diversifying the offer and reducing pressure on the busiest areas.

These funds ensure that Barcelona can remain an attractive and well-maintained destination for tourists, while improving the quality of life for its residents.

Barcelona tourist tax at maximums of €7.5

Barcelona city council surcharge from €3.25 to €4.

The Barcelona City Council increased the surcharge from the current € € to € 4 per spell. This measure entered into force in October 2024 . In order to implement this proposal, both the Generalitat and the Parliament of Catalonia modified Law 5/2020 of fiscal and financial measures so that the amount of this surcharge could exceed the previous amount of € 3.25.

How much will Barcelona City Council earn with this new surcharge?

According to Jordi Valls , councilor and deputy mayor of Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism of the Barcelona City Council, he has detailed that the city of Barcelona would go from collecting 95 million (75 million from the surcharge and 20 million from the Tax on stays in tourist establishments – IEETS) to 115 million euros .

Who pays the Barcelona tourist tax?

The tourist tax is a tax applied by the Government of the Generalitat and managed by the Catalan tax agency. This tax falls directly on tourist accommodation and they in turn apply this surcharge to the price of the overnight stay , so the tourist tax will be included in the final price paid by the guest.

When should the tourist tax be settled?

As we have already mentioned previously, each tourist accommodation must settle this fee before the Catalan Tax Agency .
This procedure must be done semi-annually and electronically . In each of the settlement windows, the tourist accommodation will have 20 days to complete the process .