Canadians visiting this Spanish city now have to pay a higher tourist tax

Are you planning to visit Barcelona anytime soon? Before you embark on your journey, make sure you account for a higher tourist charge that kicked in on April 1.

Tourists visiting the Spanish city now have to pay a city tax surcharge of €3.25 (C$4.76) per night per person.

According to the Municipal Institute of History of Barcelona, this tax was initially introduced in the summer of 2021, when it was just €0.75 (C$1.10) per night. It has since gone up by €2.5, rising three times.

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Institut Municipal d’Hisenda de Barcelona

This surcharge is separate from the regional tax you must pay based on your accommodation type.

According to the Spanish publication The Olive Press, a night’s stay in an apartment will cost €2.25 (C$3.30) in regional tax. For five-star hotels, this increases to €3.5 (C$5.13) per night.

That means a Canadian visitor staying at an Airbnb apartment will pay €5.50 (C$8.06) per night. If they decide to stay at a five-star hotel, they’ll pay €6.75 (C$9.89) per night.

USA Today says cruise day-trippers must now pay €6.25 (C$9.16).

The publication also reported that the city has implemented this tax hike to “encourage quality tourism over big numbers.”

If you plan to stay in Barcelona for over a week, you won’t have to pay the tourist tax after seven days. But a week of tax still amounts to quite a bit of money.

Suppose a Canadian family of four visits Barcelona and spends a week in an apartment, the total tax they’d pay would be €154 (C$225.60).

If they feel fancy enough to stay at a five-star accommodation, they’ll pay €189 (C$276.87).

Are you still excited to go? The city is beautiful, so you will likely not regret the extra expenses.

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