News Summary:
On January 24, 2026, Catalonia reported a significant slowdown in international tourist arrival growth for 2025, reaching only 1.2% and bringing the total to nearly 20 million arrivals, more than double the country's population. Previously, on September 25, 2025, Catalonia postponed its planned tourist tax increase until at least April 2026, a development confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN) with economy department sources. This postponement resulted from ongoing negotiations between the Socialist government, left-wing Comuns, and pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC). Earlier, on September 15, 2025, an ACN analysis of 2024 city council data revealed that some sections of Barcelona's Gran Via and Aragó Streets recorded approximately 2,000 vehicles per hour, or around 50,000 vehicles per day. This followed an August 19, 2025 ACN report detailing that residents of Barcelona's La Barceloneta neighborhood expressed suspicion about promised investments one year after the America's Cup international sailing competition, with investments described as "slow" and showing no "substantial" changes. Manel Martínez, spokesperson for the Barceloneta Residents' Association, told ACN that some promised projects were "historical demands" of locals.
Subscribe for full access to ACN's products in full detail 
