As soon as the COVID-19 restrictions got dropped the number of travelers deciding to take a trip outside their country started to increase again, nearing the pre-pandemic levels.
Even though the increase in the number of visitors has been welcomed by businesses affected by the pandemic, the authorities of several popular destinations have expressed their concerns about over-tourism.
For this reason, some destinations have decided to start applying tourist taxes in 2023 or increase the fee of the existing ones, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to research published by Euronews Travel, three of the four destinations that will introduce tourist taxes or increase the fee of the existing ones this year are located in the European continent. Moreover, the same revealed that the fourth destination is a popular one among travelers.
Barcelona
The authorities of Barcelona have announced that the tourist tax of the city will be increased over the next two years.
Barcelona is the most visited city in Spain and it has been applying a tourist tax for all its visitors since 2012. The fee that Barcelona applies to all visitors staying in the city depends on the type of accommodation.
In line with the new rules that the authorities plan on introducing in an attempt to help the city deal with over-tourism, starting from April 1, 2023, when the first increase becomes official, visitors will be required to pay €2.75.
The fee that visitors are required to pay when staying in Barcelona will further increase on April 1, 2024, reaching €3.25.
The tax mentioned above will apply to different tourist accommodations, including here rental accommodations and hotels.
Valencia
Taking into account the high number of visitors, the authorities of Valencia have also decided to introduce a tourist tax for all visitors staying in all types of accommodation in the region.
Euronews Travel explains that the requirement to pay a fee when visiting Valencia will enter into force at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2024.
As soon as tourist tax start applying, those visiting Valencia will have to pay between 50 cents and €2 per night for up to seven nights. The tourist tax fee depends on the type of accommodation that visitors choose.
According to the authorities, proceeds will be used for the sustainable development of the tourism sector as well as to offer affordable housing for locals.
Venice
Similar to the above-mentioned, Venice will also introduce a fee for all tourists. The fee will start applying for all tourists from the summer of this year and the price will vary between €3 and €10, depending on the season and the number of tourists.
Announcing the news, the local media said in April 2022 that all tourists who do not hold a valid ticket will not be permitted to enter the city.
“The City bookable is the right way to take, for more balanced management of tourism. We will be the first in the world in this difficult experimentation,” the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro said last year.
The decision of Venice to introduce a fee for all tourists was taken in order to reduce the number of visitors as well as to better manage the tourism sector.
Thailand
Thailand is also planning to introduce a fee for all tourists this year. The authorities of Thailand have said that the country is considering requiring tourists to pay a fee of €8.
Even though an official date has not been set yet, it is expected that the fee will start applying at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2024.
Commenting on the country’s plan to introduce a tourist tax, Thailand’s governor of the Tourism Authority said that a part of the fee will be used to ‘take care of tourists’. The same noted that the fee will help the country to finance the development of tourist attractions.
While the cities and the country mentioned above are expected to introduce a fee for tourists soon, there are several countries where tourists already have to pay a fee to get in.
Euronews Travel explains that that list of countries that require all tourists to pay a fee when staying in their territory includes all the countries below:
Austria
Austria requires all travelers to pay an overnight accommodation tax. The tax depends on the province that travelers decide to stay in.
For example, in Vienna and Salzburg travelers pay an additional 3.02 percent per person at the hotel.
Belgium
Similarly, Belgium applies a tourist tax for all visitors staying in an accommodation place in the country.
Euronews Travel notes that the fee in Belgium is sometimes included in the room rate of the hotel and the same points out that some separate the cost out, making it a supplemental change.
For example, the city of Bruges and Antwerp charge a fee for room. As for Brussels, it has been revealed that the rate depends on the size as well as the rating of the hotel. Generally, the fee is around €7.50.
Bhutan
While the majority of countries have a low fee, the tax of Bhutan is extremely high compared to the above-mentioned.
The minimum fee per day for visitors staying in Bhutan is €228 during the high season. This means that during the low season, the fee is less expensive.
It has been pointed out that it covers accommodation, a guide, transportation in the country, entry fees, and food, among others.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria applies a tourist fee for all overnight stays spent by visitors. The fee that tourists are required to pay in Bulgaria is low and it depends on the area and on the type of accommodation. In general, the nightly fee per person is around €1.50.
Caribbean Islands
The Euronews Travel research shows that most Caribbean islands apply tourist taxes, which are added to the departure fee or to the hotel cost.
Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Bonaire, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands apply a fee for all visitors.
The fee that visitors staying in the islands mentioned above varies from €13 to €45, depending on the destination as well as on the type of accommodation.
Croatia
Croatia has been applying a tourist tax for years now and in 2019 it decided to increase its fee. The increased fee applies only during the summer when there is a peak season.
Visitors staying in Croatia pay a fee of around €1.33 per night. This fee applies to each person individually.
Czechia
The Czech Republic applies a tourist tax only for those visiting the capital, Prague. The fee that visitors pay when staying in Prague is under €1 per night per person for up to 60 nights.
It has been pointed out that the fee applies only to visitors over the age of 18.
France
France has a “taxe de séjour” which is added to visitors’ hotel bills. The fee that visitors pay when staying in France depends on the city and it generally ranges from €0.20 to €4 per person per night.
The money is mainly used to maintain tourism infrastructure, especially by cities that register a high number of visitors.
Germany
Germany has a so-called “culture tax” as well as a “bed tax” which applies in cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg.
The fee in the cities that apply such a tax is about five percent of the hotel bill.
Greece
Just like the other countries mentioned above, Greece also applies a tourist tax. The tourist tax in Greece depends on the accommodation type visitors choose to stay in and it can reach up to €4 per room per night.
Hungary
Similar to some countries mentioned above, Hungary applies a tourist tax only for visitors staying in its capital, Budapest.
Visitors have to pay an additional four percent depending on the price of their room when staying in accommodation places in Budapest.
Indonesia
Indonesia also has a tourist tax but only for those staying in Bali. Bali’s tourist tax was introduced in 2019 and since then everyone has had to pay a fee of €9.
It is believed that the tourist tax applies only in Bali since it registers a high number of visitors and this way the province is able to preserve its environment as well as its culture.
Italy
Apart from Venice, mentioned in the first part, other cities in Italy already apply a tourist tax.
Rome currently has a fee from €3 to €7 per person per night. The fee depends on the type of room a visitor chooses to stay in and the price may vary in smaller cities.
Japan
Japan has a tourist tax too which comes in the form of a departure tax, Euronews Travel explains. People visiting Japan pay around €8 when they leave the country.
Commenting on the fee that visitors pay, the country’s authorities have said that this helps the country to better manage the tourism sector.
Malaysia
The tourist tax in Malaysia also applies to visitors per night. The fee in Malaysia per night is around €4, which means that it may be lower depending on the type of accommodation.
New Zealand
New Zealand required many tourists as well as people working there on holidays and some students to pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy upon their arrival in the country.
Exempt from this requirement are citizens of Australia whereas the others pay around €21.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has a land as well as a water tourist tax, which is called ‘toeristenbelasting’. In Amsterdam, the tourist tax is around seven percent of the cost of the hotel room that visitors choose to stay in.
Portugal
Portugal also has a tourist tax which is paid per night per person. The fee in Portugal applies only to guests who are over the age of 13 and it is around €2.
In addition, the fee has to be paid only on the first seven days of the stay.
Slovenia
Just like in other countries, the tourist tax in Slovenia also is based on the location as well as on the accommodation type.
The fee in larger cities, including Bled as well as Ljubljana, is around €3.
Spain
Several regions in Spain apply a tourist tax. Catalonia is one of the regions that has been applying a tourist tax for all visitors for some time now. Guests staying in the regions of Catalonia pay a fee of around €3.50 per night when staying in five-star hotels and around €2.25 when staying in rental accommodation.
The Balearic Islands also apply a tourist tax for visitors. The tourist tax in the Balearic Islands was introduced in 2016 and since then all visitors over the age of 16 pay a fee from €1 to €4 per night per person.
The Spanish authorities said that the money raised will be used to protect and maintain the natural resources in certain areas.
Switzerland
Switzerland also has a tourist tax which depends on the location. Visitors pay around €2.20 per night and the fee only applies to stays under 40 days.
It has been explained that the fee is specified as a separate amount so that visitors have it easier to keep track of their spending.
USA
The majority of destinations in the United States charge a hotel tax for travelers that rent accommodation.
The fees in the US apply in inns, motels, as well as in hotels and reportedly the highest rate is in Houston – 17 percent tax on the hotel bill.
The post List of Countries That Require Visitors to Pay Tourist Taxes in 2023 appeared first on VisaGuide.World.
