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Barcelona offiicials crack down on tourism, say not a single person more
Fox News • • world
Key Points:
- Barcelona is intensifying its crackdown on overtourism by proposing a significant increase in taxes for cruise passengers staying less than 12 hours, potentially charging up to €30 ($35) in combined taxes.
- The city aims to cap tourist numbers at 16 million annually, emphasizing no further growth beyond the current 15.7 million tourists to address overcrowding and its impact on residents.
- Measures include nearly doubling the hotel guest tax starting April 1 and maintaining a moratorium on new hotel construction to manage tourism sustainably.
- Local residents have protested against mass tourism, citing rising housing costs and overwhelmed public services, with some demonstrations involving spraying tourists with water guns.
- Officials stress that the new policies are designed to attract diverse visitors interested in business and cultural experiences rather than mass tourism, aiming to preserve urban space for residents and authentic city life.
