Amid debate over the burden of mass tourism, Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona, has announced an increase in the entrance fee.
The tourist tax for cruise passengers staying less than twelve hours is currently seven euros too low, Mayor Jaume Collboni said in an interview with the newspaper ‘El Pais’ published on Sunday. “We plan to significantly increase the tax for cruise passengers who stay for a short period of time.”
The mayor does not want to say how high the tax should be in the future. The project still has to be coordinated with the Catalan regional government. In support of the project, Collboni states that the visitors in question make intensive use of the public space, without the city benefiting from it.
Many Spaniards are increasingly complaining about the burden of tourism, which is also driving up house prices and making life unaffordable for locals in many destinations. In recent weeks, there have been protests in Mallorca and the Canary Islands.
Barcelona has already announced a ban on renting apartments to tourists. Other countries have also complained about too many short-term visitors. In Italy, for example, Venice is considered a pioneer with an entrance fee for day trippers.
Source: Krone
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