Cruise passengers in Barcelona to be hit by ‘substantial’ tax hike as city clamps down on mass tourism
Locals in Barcelona have protested against mass tourism
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Summer travel in Europe is slowly changing, as record numbers of tourists visit the continent this July and August.
Cruise passengers visiting Barcelona will soon likely be hit by a hike in tourist taxes as the city clamps down on mass tourism.
Tourism taxes are small daily charges typically applied to a hotel bill or paid as a one-off payment at immigration.
The tax increase, announced by the city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, will affect cruise passengers visiting the city for less than 12 hours.
Cities across Spain are introducing a tourism tax
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Passengers could be required to pay more than the current €7 a day to deter excessive tourism in the Catalan Capital.
The mayor said the tax would be increased to tackle the “intensive use of public space without any benefit for the city”.
It will also help deter a “feeling of occupation and saturation” among locals protesting against mass tourism.
Many cities across Spain have introduced a tax to cater for the demands of tourism while protecting cultural authenticity.
The mayor told El Pais newspaper: “We are going to propose [...] substantially increasing the tax for stopover cruise passengers.”
He added: “In the case of stopover cruise passengers (less than 12 hours) there is intensive use of public space without any benefit for the city and a feeling of occupation and saturation.
“We want to have tourism that is respectful of the destination.”
A similar tax hike was introduced in Venice for stopover cruise passengers, which could double the revenues for the city next year.
Over the summer, a five euros tax per daytripper raked in revenues exceeding €2.2million for the city.
It comes as locals in major cities across Spain are becoming increasingly frustrated about mass tourism.
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Locals in Barcelona have protested against mass tourism
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Tourists in the Catalan capital have taken to the streets chanting “Tourists go home” and spraying visitors with water as part of demonstrations in recent weeks.
Housing in Spain has increased by 68 per cent over the past 10 years while working conditions have declined.
Many have blamed tourists for unaffordable housing, as foreigners buying properties and renting holiday homes have driven up prices.
Holidaymakers hit back at protesters, saying they will have to elsewhere and spend their money if this continues.
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