Tourist Taxes Rise
Spain has joined Romania, Italy and Belgium in significantly raising tourist taxes as part of continent-wide measures to tackle overtourism and fund infrastructure. (travelandtourworld.com) (travelandtourworld.com)
Catalonia’s regional parliament approved a sweeping tourist‑tax overhaul on Feb. 25 that takes effect April 1, 2026. (euroweeklynews.com)) Under the new scale, hotel guests will face €10–€15 per person per night while short‑term rental levies will be capped at about €12.50 and cruise passengers around €6. (travelandtourworld.com)) Barcelona’s municipal surcharge has been raised to €5 per night and the council has approved annual €1 increases that will cap the municipal component at €8 by 2029. (news.sky.com)) Regional law directs 25% of the additional Catalan tax revenue to affordable‑housing measures with the remainder earmarked for the region’s Tourism Promotion Fund. (euroweeklynews.com)) Bucharest’s General Council adopted a flat RON 10 (≈€2) per‑night tourist tax on Dec. 23, 2025, projected to raise about RON 15 million (~€2.9m) a year and triggering objections from the hotel sector. (euronews.com)) The Bucharest levy will be collected by accommodation providers and platforms, with non‑compliance penalties reported up to RON 1,500 for individuals and RON 4,000 for businesses. (euronews.com)) Brussels increased its regional tax from Jan. 1, 2026 to a standard €5 per room per night for most accommodations, with a €4 nightly rate applying to homestays and campsites. (be.brussels)) Milan’s city council set 2026 tourist‑tax bands effective Jan. 1 — including €10 for four‑ and five‑star hotels and lower tiers for other categories — and national rules allow a further Olympic‑year surcharge. (www2.comune.milano.it)) Italy’s Decree‑Law 156/2025 lets municipalities within 30 km of 2026 Olympic venues add up to €5 extra per night and requires half of those increases to be transferred to the state budget. (en.ilsole24ore.com)) Analysts estimate Italy’s wider municipal increases will push national tourist‑tax receipts to about €1.3 billion in 2026 (+9.2%), while the number of municipalities charging the levy has risen above 1,400. (en.ilsole24ore.com)) Rome has also introduced new access charges to some monuments, including a €2 Trevi Fountain entry ticket implemented from Feb. 1, 2026 as part of broader crowd‑management levies. (idealista.it))
