Alamany pushes for change ahead of 2027 elections

Elisenda Alamany, the ERC candidate for mayor of Barcelona, has called for a reevaluation of the city’s tourist tax system, arguing that Catalans visiting their own capital should not be treated the same as foreign tourists. Speaking in a recent interview with Nació Digital, she said the current model, charging the same rate regardless of origin, fails to recognise the special relationship many Catalans have with the city. "With the tax, we would like Catalans not to be considered just another tourist in Barcelona," Alamany stated, acknowledging that while legal constraints currently prevent differentiation, her party will study possible solutions if elected in May 2027.

Tourism revenue redirected to social policies

The debate comes as Barcelona City Council moves forward with plans to increase the municipal surcharge on short-stay cruise passengers. On 25 September 2026, the council provisionally approved raising the fee to €24, with the aim of discouraging high-impact, low-duration tourism and generating additional revenue. According to the council, if visitor numbers remain stable, this could yield an extra €23.7 million annually from 2030. A prior agreement between the PSC and ERC already directs €4 million from tourism revenues toward education: €3 million for school reinforcement and €1 million for extracurricular activities. This follows the existing Pla Clima Escola programme, which uses tourist tax income to install climate control in schools and has reached over 80 so far.

Housing and urban identity in focus

Alamany also outlined her priorities for housing policy, criticising the PSC-led administration for delays in rent regulation and calling for stronger action against speculative property purchases. She reaffirmed support for measures such as increasing transfer taxes (ITP) on second homes while reducing them for first-time buyers, echoing policies used in countries like the Netherlands where occupancy is required after purchase. She highlighted the need to end new licenses for 24-hour supermarkets, which she says erode local commercial identity. "Every time a shutter goes down and a 24-hour supermarket goes up, we lose the model of city that we believe makes us enviable," she said.

"I make videos because I want to win the cultural battle.", Elisenda Alamany, ERC Barcelona

Alamany defended her active Instagram presence as part of a broader strategy to reshape public discourse. Polls published in late September 2026 by GESOP for EL PERIÓDICO show her trailing behind incumbent Jaume Collboni but gaining ground, with around 8.3% of voter preference, second only to Collboni’s 19.9%. Support for other candidates remains fragmented. Despite current electoral momentum favouring Collboni, Alamany insists that many of the PSC’s current proposals, including the phase-out of tourist apartments by 2028 and enhanced rental regulations, originated within ERC initiatives during coalition negotiations.

Primary sources: barcelona.cat. Reported by naciodigital.cat, barna.news, elperiodico.com, eldebate.com, metropoliabierta.cat, particle.news.