So-called overtourism has caused a lot of anger in Spain this year with protests in the Balearic Islands, Canaries, Barcelona and Málaga. While there have been many ideas to try and curb the amount of visitors to the country and benefit more from the ever-increasing numbers, one of the least popular has been the introduction of tourist taxes.
Currently, tourist taxes have only been introduced in Spain in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. They were also introduced and then scrapped in the Valencia Community.
Last week Asturias’ left-wing regional government, formed by the PSOE and IU, announced that it intends to impose a tourist tax on visitors too.
Asturias received a record 2.7 million visitors in 2023 and experts believe it will be even higher in 2024.
It aims to offset the increased costs of running public services in places with more visitors, but crucially it will be up to each individual town hall in Asturias to decide whether to charge tourists the tax or not.
Popular towns in Asturias such as Cudillero, Cangas de Onís and Valdés have already shown interest in introducing the tax, although authorities in the region’s two main cities, Oviedo and Gijón, are against it.
There will also be an increase in tourist taxes in Barcelona. Currently, tourists to the Catalan capital pay two types of taxes – one to the region and one to the city.
City tax, which is charged for up to seven nights stands at €3.25 per night, but from October 2024, this will go up to €4 per night, which is an increase of €0.75. They will pay this municipal tourist tax regardless of whether they stay in a bed and breakfast, on a cruise ship or in five-star hotel.
On top of this visitors will also have to pay tax on stays in tourist establishments of the Generalitat. This ranges from €1 per person per night for stays in hotels with less than four stars and up to €3.50 per night for 5-star establishments.
This means that from this autumn, tourists to Barcelona will end up pay between €5 and €7.50 per night.
There has been so much talk of overtourism in Spain lately that many forget the other side of the story – the parts of the country that are empty.
Recently, one of the most underpopulated regions in Spain, Extremadura, made headlines when it said it would pay digital nomads to move there, helping to increase the population and jump-start local economies.
The rural depopulation of Spain’s ‘interior’ has long been a socioeconomic and demographic problem
According to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), approximately 22 million Spaniards live in the 100 most populated municipalities in Spain. This means that around half of the total Spanish population is concentrated in four percent of the national territory.
Over the last decade, 6,232 municipalities have seen their population decline. This equals three out of every four municipal areas.
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Aragón are the parts of Spain where this depopulation is felt the most. Here, many people move away from the countryside and smaller towns in search of employment, better paid jobs and where they can find more opportunities.
Depopulation affects everything from the lack of banking and healthcare services to local economies and the social fabric of these rural societies.
In another news story that caught our eye, the Balearic Island of Formentera will be hosting what it calls “the only Zero Wastefestival in the world” from October 4th to 6th.
While other festivals also claim to sustainable, the SON Estrella Galicia Posidonia event was recently awarded TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certification. Working with local partners, it is open to only 350 people and offers its guests a chance to discover the island through activities and guided walks – committed to a zero waste policy with a focus on reduction and reuse.
The event offers a programme of musical performances, a tasting menu curated by a Michelin Star chef and activities across different parts of the island, which will remain secret until October 4th. Tickets can be bought here.
The festival aims to raise awareness of the protection of Posidonia meadows around the island.
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