This popular European city is the latest to increase its tourist tax to battle overtourism
Here’s when trips to Europe will be cheaper
According to the Wall Street Journal, US travelers could benefit from a drop in airline prices for trips across the Atlantic.
The newspaper reported that multiple new non-stop routes from the US to different European destinations are likely to be scheduled.
Thrifty Traveler reported that “everybody wanted to go to Europe this past summer, and pretty much everybody did. And they paid to do it.”
Extra demand has reportedly prompted airlines like United, Lufthansa and JetBlue to try to meet the demand of US customers.
Research conducted by Newser shows that the costs of transatlantic flights to Europe in March are coming in at approximately $500.
Flights to southern European cities, like Athens, Madrid and Lisbon, are 20% more expensive than last year, pushing the average ticket price up.
October and November 2024 is believed to be the ideal time to book, thanks to a huge dip in demand compared to the summer months.
“Think of it like a hangover for the airlines after the incredibly busy summer. As Americans tune out travel before heading on holidays, airlines are eager to start filling seats through the end of the year and deep into 2024,” said Gunnar Olson of Thrifty Traveler.
unbranded – Lifestyle
Barcelona is the latest European city to increase its city-wide tourist tax, a slight increase of €0.50 (about $0.53) per night, as the city seeks to curb overtourism.
The new price of €3.25 (about $3.45) was implemented on April 1 as part of the Stays in Tourist Establishments Tax. The bylaw was introduced in 2021, when the tourist tax was €0.75 (around $0.80) per night, and gradually increased the tax each year through 2024. Now, if someone is staying in Barcelona for seven nights, the new total tax amount will be €22.75 (around $24).
“It was the objective sought: to contain the number of tourists and increase tourist income because our model is no longer mass tourism but quality tourism, which adds value to the city,” deputy mayor Jaume Collboni said in March, according to Euronews.
The tax is added to a tourist’s accommodations bill when they stay at official tourist establishments in the city. The money goes toward enhancing the city’s infrastructure, such as improving roads.
Other popular European destinations, such as Amsterdam and Venice, also recently increased tourist taxes for similar reasons.
Are tourist taxes the future of travel? What to know about the increasing tourist fees worldwide.
“The new and increasing tourist fees across Europe allow cities to fund measures to attract more vacationers, support the local infrastructure and businesses, as well as preventing damages from overtourism,” Tiffany Mealiff, a travel insurance expert at Quotezone, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
However, Barcelona visitors have had to pay a regional tourist tax since 2012, according to Euronews. This tax amount depends on a traveler’s accommodation type, costing more if someone is staying at a luxury hotel than an Airbnb.
Barcelona continues to reign as Spain’s most popular tourist destination. In 2022, Barcelona welcomed 9.7 million tourists, just slightly below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to the Barcelona City Council. However, tourists were found to be staying in the city longer than in 2019.
In 2022, the city also sought to cap the number of people in a tour group and ban megaphones by tour guides in an effort to curb the disruptive effects of overtourism.
Travelers planning their European getaway should be mindful of the additional costs that “are often not obvious beforehand,” according to Mealiff, as they plan their trip budgets.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
Related
Gorgeous European city has 25 Christmas markets and 13C winter…
When you think about Christmas Markets you probably think of cold places like London, Edinburgh, or Berlin.But just because these countries are what spring to m
Easyjet launches new route from UK airport to huge European…
Travel between the UK and a top European travel destination is about to get a whole lot easier as easyJet has announced a new service between Southampton Airpor
