European cities and destinations are making more moves to push back against overtourism.
Barcelona is debating an increase in the city’s Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, or hotel property tax, from 1.17% of a hotel’s average daily rate to 1.30%. That will increase the current cap of €12 ($13.69) in some cases.
The pending decision will be opened up to public discussion.
According to Spanish hotel and tourism website Hosteltur, the move is “allowed by law … and would affect 10% of the properties with the highest cadastral value.”
“Valor catastral” is the Spanish term for the value assigned to real estate to calculate property taxes.
Cruise-ship passengers also will see tax increases. On Sept. 22, the Ajuntament de Barcelona, or Barcelona City Council, agreed to increase the per-passenger tax on short-stay cruise ship visits to €30 by 2030, up from €11. The city considers a short stay as one fewer than 12 hours.
Spain does not have a uniform tourist tax, but several markets have put such levies on the calendar.
The entire Basque Country region in the north of Spain is introducing a tourism tax on Jan. 1, according to financial website Economía Finanzas. It said the charge between €0.50 ($0.57) and €7 ($8) will be calculated on the segment positioning of hotels.
In June, the World Travel & Tourism Council urged Barcelona politicians to not proceed with the tax increase on cruise ships.