06/11/2026
Barcelona, Spain began a crackdown on overtourism in 2024 and plans continue in 2026. The plan is to reduce visitors to Barcelona. In 2024, about 24 million people visited Barcelona, which has a population of under 2 million in its city center. The mayor of Barcelona is looking to increase the city’s tourist tax on cruise visitors as well from Euro 4 to 8 for stays under 12 hours in the city. The city tax is in addition to the Catalonia tourist tax. In April 2026 the combined taxes is up to Euro 12.00 per night, per person (depending on accommodation booked)— both among the highest in Europe. Taxes paid for maxium 7 nights. The taxes will increase each year and projected for 2029 to be up to Euro 15.00 per night, per person.
The most significant change being planned is an effective end to short-term tourist rentals. As of 2028, more than 10,000 permits to operate Airbnb-type property rentals in the city will be revoked.
The city also wants to return La Boqueria, Barcelona’s traditional food market, to its original character. The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, usually simply referred to as "La Boqueria", is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona. Dating back to the 13th century, the market off La Rambla has long been where residents went to buy fresh produce and meat, but has increasingly been encroached on by vendors selling fast food to tourists. Organized pub crawls are among the specific types of activities city officials plan to ban. The market has been overrun by tourists, crowding residents out.
Barcelona city officials plan the city tourist tax money will no longer be used only to support promoting tourism, but also to support local businesses and promote livability in the city, Barcelona’s tourist tax, officially called the Tax on Stays in Tourist Establishments (IEET), applies to guests over 16 years old staying in regulated tourist accommodations such as hotels, aparthotels, guesthouses, holiday apartments, campsites, and rural tourism establishments.
