Overcrowded Barcelona to double taxes on tourists

Barcelona is crowded and tired of tourists.

Fortunately, there are many great alternative destinations in Spain that still welcome visitors.

Barcelona this week announced it is doubling the existing tourist tax for overnight stays.

City leaders just announced hikes for stays in hotels and short-term rentals effective from next month, new hub Travel Mole reported.

Guests in hotels are impacted the most, with hotel taxes going up to around €12 depending on the star rating.

It includes an increased €5 surcharge, which is a fixed fee.

Vacation rental guests will now pay €4.50 a night up from €2.25, as well as the €5 surcharge.

Cruise guests are spared the increases and will continue paying €6 per night.

The moves are to generate funds which will be used, in part, to alleviate the local housing crisis.

The surge in short-term rentals across the city has severely impacted local housing affordability, which has been the reason for several anti-tourism protests in recent years.

The city has already announced plans in principle to ban short-term rental properties from 2028.

Image: Time Beast, scopio.com 

How to travel asleep on Europe’s first night bus with lie-flat seats

Buses with lie-flat beds are emerging as an enticing travel option in Europe.

Zurich, Basle, Luxembourg, Brussels and Amsterdam are in line to become among the first cities to see the arrival of a new era of overnight coach travel, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Swiss company Twiliner has announced that its first luxury night bus route will officially launch on November 14.

Twiliner’s mission is to make long-distance bus travel as comfortable - and nearly as sustainable - as rail journeys, while offering a greener alternative to short-haul flights.

The company says its service “closes the comfort gap in long-distance travel,” bringing airline business-class style to its buses.

Each double-decker bus will carry just 21 passengers (18 on the upper deck and three on the lower level).

This is compared to up to 80 seats for a normal cheap-and-cheerful coach service.

Seats (above) looking like those found in business class cabins in commercial aircraft. At the push of a button, they fully recline into flat beds.

Travellers can expect pillows, blankets, privacy screens, reading lights, USB ports, wifi and personal storage compartments.

Downstairs, passengers will find bathroom and changing facilities and a snack bar stocked with light refreshments.

Each guest will be allowed to bring one large suitcase (up to 23kg) and a small carry-on, with options to book extra space for bikes or sports equipment.

Sustainability is a major part of Twiliner’s identity. The buses will run on HVO diesel, a renewable fuel made from recycled fats and vegetable oils.

The company says the system cuts carbon emissions by up to 85% compared to flying and is on par with train travel in terms of sustainability.

The trips will, however, not be cheap: one-way fares start around €155 (about $AU270) to €250 depending on distance and season. But you will save on the cost of a hotel room overnight. 

The network will debut with one route: Zurich–Basle-Luxembourg-Brussels-Rotterdam-Amsterdam.

By the end of 2025, a second route between Zurich and Barcelona will be launched: Zurich–Berne-Girona-Barcelona.

Initially operating several times per week in December, Twiliner expects to offer daily departures by mid-2026.

Additional routes are already planned for 2026 with the aim of a total of 30 European destinations within the next three years. These would include cities such as Copenhagen, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Munich and Vienna.

“This is about redefining how people move across Europe at night,” said Twiliner CEO Samuel Keller. “You can rest, work, or simply sleep your way from one city to another - comfortably and sustainably.”

See https://www.twiliner.com/en/

Spain cracks down on Airbnb operations

Spain has imposed a major clampdown on Airbnb short-term rental properties, ordering the removal of over 65,000 listings from the platform.

The government action comes after months of anger over a housing affordability crisis in major cities including Barcelona, news portal Travel Mole reports.

The Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry said many listings have violated record-keeping rules, citing discrepancies such as missing licence numbers and owner declarations.

Spaniards have increasingly blamed short-term rentals on housing shortages and surging rental costs.

Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy said the clampdown will address the general ‘lack of control and illegality’ in the holiday let market.

“No more excuses," he said. "Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country." 

The move is mostly targeting what it calls "illegal listings" in Madrid, Barcelona and parts of Andalusia.

Airbnb is appealing the action and has filed a court motion.

Official data shows there are more than 320,000 licensed rental properties in Spain, but officials say there are many more operating illegally.

The Consumer Rights Ministry first opened an investigation into Airbnb late last year.

The housing shortage crisis has been at the centre of anti-mass tourism protests across Spain in the past year.

Barcelona has already taken measures to alleviate the problem, with plans to remove around 10,000 licensed short-term rental apartments within the next three years.

Image: Andre Oprea, Scop.io 

Dear tourists: Please go away we don't want you here

First Venice took action against over-sized cruise ships, now Amsterdam is cracking down.

The Dutch city plans to start cutting the number of ships that can stop at its main port terminal over the coming years, its municipal government has said.

Starting from 2026, the number of sea cruise vessels that can stop at the Passengers Terminal Amsterdam will be set at 100 per annum, down from 190 today.

Within a decade, cruise ships will not be allowed to stop at the main terminal, and by 2035 the main terminal for cruise stops will be outside the city, travel news portal Skift reports.

All cruise ships will be required to use shore power by 2027.

This means ships will have to get their electrical power from the shore while docked at the port, cutting the use of onboard diesel engines - a contributor to carbon emissions.

“By limiting sea cruises, requiring shore power, and aiming for the cruise terminal to move from its current location in 2035, the council is responsibly implementing the proposal to stop sea cruises,” said Hester van Buren, an alderman for the municipal government.

Both Venice and Amsterdam have concerns about over-tourism and its impact on the environment.

In Venice, the government has limited the number of cruise ships at its industrial port and is building a smaller terminal outside the city centre.

The cruise cap is the latest policy by Amsterdam to combat over-tourism.

In April, the city banned the construction of new hotels. And earlier this year, it launched a new campaign to discourage nuisance party tourists from visiting the city’s red light district.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Barcelona, Mayor Jaume Collboni, revealed this month that his city plans to ban short-term vacation rentals by 2028.

That plan is in response to rising tourist numbers and ever-increasing rents for locals with a large portion of housing stock having been turned into accommodation for visitors.