Another popular Spanish city, which was “simply tortured” by tourists, plans to introduce a tourist tax. After Barcelona, where this tax already works, it may be introduced by the country’s capital, Madrid. At least according to Spanish media reports, former tourism minister Reyes Maroto, who is running for mayor of the city, says she plans to introduce tax on tourists if elected. However, local hoteliers are categorically against it.
As Reyes Maroto states, the capital of Spain “attracts millions of visitors every year, it is more than necessary to introduce a tourist tax to help control over-tourism.” At the same time, she added that “the tourist tax should provide funds for the restoration of the city’s tourist infrastructure.” However, representatives of the tourism sector, in particular the Madrid Hotel Business Association, opposed the idea, saying that the tax would directly harm both the sector and visitors.
The introduction of a tourist tax in Madrid has been discussed several times — it was proposed to be introduced in 2015, and then again in 2018. However, so far the capital of Spain has not introduced additional taxes on tourists. Unlike other regions.
We will remind that in Barcelona, a similar tax has been introduced since 2012, and this is an additional fee plus the general regional tourist tax. According to these rules, tourists in Barcelona who live in rented accommodation must pay a fee of 4 euros per night. “Five-star” tourists are also required to pay a higher fee – 5.25 euros. Moreover, the local authorities declare that the amount of the fee will increase in the near future – we are talking about the next two years.
Everything does not end with the capital of Catalonia. The Balearic Islands also impose a tourist tax on all visitors over the age of 16 – they must pay a fee of between €1 and €4 per night. In addition, at the end of 2023, Valencia plans to introduce a tax from 50 cents to 2 euros per night.
However, they do not refuse to get additional money from tourists all over the globe. Thus, at the same time as Spain, Indonesia is discussing the possibility of introducing a tourist tax. Read details here.
