The idea of a tourist tax surfaced again recently according to today's El Pais newspaper. Spain's Balearic islands tried to impose this 10 years ago and after two years of protests by hoteliers it was revoked. One member of the Barcelona's City Council, Joan Gaspert (that's a man by the way) thought it a brilliant idea for a time when the Government was increasingly strapped for cash and was having to scale down many projects to say nothing of salaries for civil servants.
To be honest, most tourists wouldn't notice if they had to pay another beersworth for their stay here. They don't seem to protest in France, New York or in Tokyio. But the real question is not whether or not it should be introduced but whether such a scheme is ethical. The ethics thing of course wasn't mentioned when Señor Gaspert re-introduced the concept but the idea of it backfiring was, so it was eventually buried again. Phew! Someone mentioned (a hotelier?) that such a tax would make the city less competitive and the tourists would all go to Madrid or Valencia instead. And then where would we be? Empty streets means empty coffers.
Of course a tourist tax might be more ethical if some of the proceeds were ploughed back into making tourists feel wanted. Like providing them with toilets in, say, the Las Ramblas area which they frequent the most. Like paying shopkeepers to smile at them when they buy things in their shops and cafes and insult them by holding up their fingers to indicate how many euros a coffee costs.Some of them do speak Spanish you know. You could also make the streets safer for them by paying for more police to patrol certain dark and dingy streets where they get robbed and on the Metro too. In 10 years living here I've never seen a security officer on a Metro, only in the stations. But no, good citizens of BCN, you want your pan y tomate and to eat it. You want tourists money (read 'need' here) but not the noise and the mess. You want tourists who shop in your luxury shops on Passeig de Gracia and eat in your expensive restaurants in Born. You're trying to target the wealthy classes in your Tourist Office publicity.
Sorry Barcelona, but you can't choose tourists. They choose you. And if they go off you, they won't come back. Nor will their friends, no matter how many EasyRyan flights arrive at El Prat Airport. You can build all the 4 and 5 star hotels you like but if the city isn't safe they'll stay empty. And putting a tourist tax on top will really make the tourists roll in won't it?
