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last mo.

Vigo Implements €1–2.50 Nightly Tourist Fee; Barcelona Charts Surcharge Rise to €8 by 2029

Revenue is earmarked for urban infrastructure with phased surcharges to manage visitor flows.

Image
Turistas paseando por el centro de Barcelona.
La doble escala de los cruceros Ambition y Mein Schiff 4, en el muelle de cruceros de Vigo.
Leyre, Begoña y Jose Antonio, visitantes de Madrid opinan que la medida es una manera de controlar el turismo.

Overview

  • Vigo’s City Council approved on July 23 a levy of €1 to €2.50 per night for hotels, tourist accommodations and cruise passengers, capped at five nights, pending final enactment following public consultation.
  • Tourists interviewed in Vigo broadly back the fee as a fair contribution to maintaining infrastructure and curbing overtourism pressures.
  • Carlos Botana, president of the Vigo Port Authority, warned that the unannounced cruise passenger charge could harm the port’s competitiveness.
  • Barcelona’s ERC and PSC coalition secured council approval for a municipal surcharge rise from €4 per night in 2025 to €8 by 2029, subject to Catalan Parliament approval of higher legal limits.
  • Combined with Catalonia’s regional IEET, Barcelona visitors could pay €10 to €15 per person per night by 2029, with proceeds earmarked for infrastructure and sustainable tourism initiatives.