Overview
- Catalonia’s president Salvador Illa announced a new Tourism Law in preparation to protect residents and share prosperity without stalling the sector, with rules adaptable across the territory.
- Spain’s industry minister Jordi Hereu, Illa and Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni jointly backed stricter management to correct negative externalities and to decentralize, deseasonalize and diversify visitor flows.
- Illa explicitly supported Barcelona’s decision to stop renewing tourist‑flat licenses from 2028, and Collboni framed the measure as a step to ease housing pressures.
- Business leaders, including Hotusa’s Amancio López and the Barcelona Chamber, opposed further increases to the tourist tax and proposed alternatives such as using VAT, while Collboni defended the levy as a reinvestment tool.
- At the inaugural Barcelona Urban Tourism Forum, officials highlighted the sector’s scale, citing more than 16 million visitors to Catalonia through September and tourism at roughly 13% of Barcelona’s GDP.