Which regions apply a tourist tax, who collects it, and how to manage it without errors at your accommodation.
What the tourist tax is and who pays it
The tourist tax is a levy on stays at tourist accommodation. The guest pays it, but it is the accommodation that is responsible for passing it on, collecting it, and remitting it to the relevant administration.
It should not be confused with traveller registration: these are separate obligations. One is fiscal; the other concerns security. An accommodation can be subject to both.
Which communities apply it
The tourist tax is not a national tax: each autonomous community decides whether to introduce it. As of 2026, the ones with a tax on tourist stays are mainly:
- ✓Catalonia: a tax on stays in tourist establishments, with an additional municipal surcharge in Barcelona.
- ✓Balearic Islands: the sustainable tourism tax, known as the ecotasa.
The other communities, and constant change
Most autonomous communities do not, for now, apply a general tourist tax. The Valencian Community did approve one in 2022, but it was repealed in 2023 before ever taking effect. The debate reopens frequently, and some town councils have studied or introduced local taxes of their own.
This is an area that changes often. Before setting the amount you charge, always check the regulation in force in your community and your municipality.
How much is paid: it depends on several factors
There is no single figure. The amount varies by community, by the accommodation’s category, by zone and, in some cases, by season. There are usually reductions for long stays and exemptions, for example for minors.
Miscalculating the tax — charging too little or too much — creates accounting and liability problems, and doing it by hand for every booking, with mixed groups and different stays, is error-prone.
How BookCheckin automates it
BookCheckin can calculate the tourist tax applicable to each booking based on the property’s location and the stay, and collect it during online check-in.
That way the amount is always correct, it is recorded alongside the rest of the booking data, and the guest pays it before arrival, with no front-desk admin.