Increased Tourist Taxes in Europe
Not very pleasant news for those who love to relax in Spain - starting January 2018, the tourist tax during high season will double.
High season is traditionally considered to be the period from May to October.
“Tourists planning to visit Mallorca from May to October will pay between €1 and €4 tax per day. This is almost double the current tax. This decision was made by the island's parliament and comes into effect in January 2018,” reports The Telegraph.
How much you'll have to pay to the state treasury will depend on your accommodation. The cheaper your hotel night, the less you'll have to pay.
Cruise travelers will be no exception and will pay €2 for each day spent in Mallorca.
Children under 16 will be exempt from the tax. During the low season, from November to April, the fee will be reduced.
Mallorca's authorities resorted to such measures due to the deteriorating environmental situation caused by a large influx of tourists. From January to July 2017, the Balearic Islands were visited by a record 7.9 million people. This is 7.5% more than in the same period last year.
In Greece, the same is planned for 2018 - the introduction of a tourist tax. It will most likely only be active during the peak months of the summer season, and currently, only July and August are being discussed.
Initially, the resort fee was supposed to come into effect, like in Mallorca, on January 1, 2018. However, representatives of the Greek tourism industry convinced the Greek authorities to collect this fee only during the peak season, so as not to reduce the number of travelers, which is not very high in Greece during winter anyway.
The tourist fee will vary depending on the accommodation. In five-star hotels, you will have to pay €4 per night, for 4 stars – €3, for 3 stars – €1.5. A tourist tax of €1 is provided for guests of four-room apartments, €0.5 – for one or two-star hotels, €0.25 – for a small private apartment.
Amsterdam authorities stood out the most, as they intend to significantly increase the tourist tax. It will be from €10 per night.
Thus, the authorities want to reduce the number of budget tourists. As The Guardian notes, Amsterdam authorities "would prefer tourists who stay in the city for several days, visit museums, dine in good restaurants, rather than coming for a weekend to grab a falafel and wander around the Red Light District."
In the first week of September, a protest took place on the streets of Amsterdam against the overwhelming number of tourists, who are changing the city's appearance for the worse. Local residents fear that the city risks becoming a second Venice in terms of tourist numbers.
That is why the authorities have developed a rather radical tax plan. If tourists currently pay an additional 5% of their hotel accommodation bill in the center, then in 2018 the tourist tax will increase to 6%, along with which a fixed fee of €10 per night will be introduced. We should prepare for an already expensive European city to become even more expensive.
