Visitors to Catalonia could face a tourist tax of up to €15 (£12.30) per night following new legislation signed by the government.
The Spanish territory, which is home to Barcelona and the coastal region of Tarragona, is set to double the existing levy in a bid to tackle surging tourist numbers.
Barcelona is expected to bear the brunt of the tax, with tourists facing a maximum of €15 (£12.40) per night, while the rest of Catalonia will only be permitted to increase the levy if they introduce a surcharge that previously only applied in the Catalan capital.
At least 25 per cent of funds gathered from the tax will be allocated to housing policies.
Barcelona currently charges guests in four-star hotels €5.70 (£4.70) per night, while those staying in five-star hotels are required to pay €7.50 (£6.10)
Comuns parliamentary spokesperson, David Cid, said doubling the tourist tax was a proportionate and fair measure.
“A person who comes to Catalonia paying €400 or €500 for a night in a hotel can pay €7 more,” he told Spanish radio network Cadena Ser.
“We have a record number of tourists, and the new figures we are talking about for the tax do not impose any limits” [on tourism or the arrival of visitors].”
He argued that similar measures “are being proposed across Europe.”
“This is the trend at the European level,” he added.
Read more: 39 destinations cracking down on overtourism
The move is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the number and impact of tourists across Spain.
Overcrowding, strained resources like water and the increasing scarcity and cost of housing have become pressing issues across the country, especially in major cities.
A 2024 YouGov study found that nearly a third of people living in Spain said there are too many foreign travellers in their country.
Action against overtourism in Spain peaked in July 2024 when thousands of Barcelona residents squirted diners in tourist areas with water during a protest against mass tourism.
Protesters chanted “tourists go home” and carried placards reading “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism”.
And in November, thousands of Barcelona residents protested to demand lower housing rental conditions following growing concern about landlords switching to more lucrative, short-term rentals, and the gentrification of rent increases due to gentrification.
