Barcelona has doubled the tourist tax since this April 1st and is placed among the European capitals with the highest surcharge per overnight stay. With the new amount, the city is just behind Paris in a comparison of European destinations elaborated based on the cost of one night in a four-star hotel.
Taking as reference a 200-euro room, the tourist tax in Barcelona stands at 8.40 euros per person. Paris appears slightly above, with 8.45 euros. Ahead, Amsterdam clearly stands out, where the surcharge reaches 25 euros, and Berlin, with 15 euros. In both cases, the tax is calculated as a percentage of the room price.
Barcelona climbs positions on the European map
In that same comparison, Milan and Athens register a rate of 10 euros per person in four-star establishments. Below Barcelona are Rome, with 7.50 euros, Brussels, with 5 euros, and Lisbon, with 4 euros.
The increase applied in the Catalan capital brings it closer to European cities with the highest tax pressure on tourist accommodation. In the State as a whole, the highest amount is set by the Balearic Islands, with 10 euros per person and day, although only during high season. Madrid, on the other hand, does not apply any tourist tax.
The weight of Europe against the big cities of the United States
Outside of Europe, the world ranking of cities with the highest tourist taxes is dominated by the United States. Eight of the top ten positions correspond to American cities. Los Angeles tops the ranking, followed by New York, Washington, and Las Vegas.
Montreal occupies fifth place and Honolulu sixth. Amsterdam is the only European city that manages to enter that leading group and appears in seventh position. After it are Orlando, Miami and San Francisco.
New surcharges to access tourist spaces
The pressure on certain destinations is not limited to accommodation. Venice charges from this April until July a tax of 5 euros to access the historic center to visitors who do not stay overnight in the city.
Other payment formulas have also spread in especially saturated enclaves. The Dutch town of Zaanse Schans, with barely 100 inhabitants and close to three million tourists a year, charges 17.50 euros to enter since this spring.
In Spain, Tenerife applies since January 1 an ecotax for those who want to go up Teide. The amount is 10 euros per person on guided routes and 25 euros if the visit is done independently. Barcelona's increase occurs in this context of rising tourist taxes in several international destinations, both on overnight stays and on access to spaces especially strained by the influx of visitors.