Travel
Barcelona increases its tourist tax this week: Where else will you have to pay to enter in 2024?
From the Algarve to Barcelona, fees are being introduced to try and combat overtourism.
Overtourism could have been 2023’s word of the year in the travel industry.
News of the negative impacts of too many tourists was everywhere. The world’s most popular destinations, like Venice, Barcelona and New Zealand, are struggling to keep visitor numbers under control.
What is the problem with overtourism? Well, local residents suffer as property becomes unaffordable due to landlords buying up holiday lets. Authorities struggle to manage the rubbish left behind by tourists, and pollution contributes to the climate crisis.
One tactic that destinations are banking on, literally, is tourist taxes: fees that visitors have to pay, on top of the usual expenses like accommodation and food.
This is not a new concept, of course. If you’ve travelled abroad, you’ve likely paid a tourist tax before. You may never even have noticed it – as it’s sometimes worked into airline tickets or the taxes you pay at your hotel.
Read on for the places that introduced tourist taxes in 2023, and those that are to come in 2024.
Barcelona is increasing its tourist tax (again) in 2024
In 2022, city authorities announced that Barcelona’s tourist tax would be increased over the next two years.
Since 2012, visitors to the Catalan capital have had to pay both the regional tourist tax and an extra city-wide surcharge.
On 1 April 2023, city authorities increased the municipal fee to €2.75.
A second increase will happen on 1 April 2024, when the fee will rise to €3.25.
The tax applies to visitors staying in official tourist accommodation.
The council said the proceeds will be used to fund the city’s infrastructure, including improvements to roads, bus services and escalators.
Portimão, Portugal, introduced tourist tax in March 2024
Portimão has followed in the footsteps of neighbouring towns by introducing a tourist tax in March.
The port city in Portugal’s Algarve will vary the tax from high to low season, setting it at €2 per night from April to October and €1 per night from November to March.
Olhão, a Portuguese fishing town popular with tourists, similarly started charging visitors €2 a night between April and October last year. The tax is reduced to €1 between November and March. It does not apply to children under the age of 16 and is capped at five nights – so a maximum of €10 – per trip.
The fees are being used to minimise the impact of tourism on the Algarve towns, including improving cleanliness, security and sustainability.
Two of the Algarve’s 16 municipalities already charged a tourist tax: Faro (€1.5 per night up to seven nights between March and October) and Vila Real de Santo António (€1 per day up to seven days).
Bali: Tourist tax introduced in February 2024
Known as the Land of the Gods, Bali attracts visitors from all over the world to its beaches, islands and spiritual culture.
But tourism also means problems and Bali is hoping to solve some of these with a new tax that must be paid to enter the country.
Since 14 February 2024, international and domestic arrivals have to pay a fee of IDR 150,000 (€8.80). This needs to be paid at special booths at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Authorities say the process takes less than 30 seconds.
They said the proceeds go towards projects that ‘preserve the environment, nature and culture as well as improving quality’ of Bali.
Is Thailand introducing a tourist fee in 2024?
Back in 2022, it was rumoured that a tourist tax would be introduced in June 2023. This didn’t happen, then the next deadline of October didn’t happen either. And there have been no confirmed plans for 2024.
Airlines and airline-representing bodies are said to have challenged the fee.
When it was first rumoured, it was said the tax would be 300 Baht (€8).
In 2022, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand told Reuters news agency that part of the fee will “be used to take care of tourists” as there have been times when health insurance didn’t cover them. It will also help finance further developments of tourist attractions, such as the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
Venice’s tourist tax: When will visitors have to pay to enter in 2024?
Venice‘s tourist tax has been the subject of much debate and delays. The city is one of the most overtouristed in Europe, forcing locals out of the city centre’s narrow and crowded streets.
It is now confirmed that the lagoon city will trial an entry fee for part of 2024.
Visitors will have to pay a fee of €5 to enter on peak weekends and other days between April and mid-July – 29 days in total.
The day-tripper fee will be in force during peak hours (8.30 am – 4 pm), meaning visitors who come into Venice for dinner or a concert won’t have to pay.
The entry fee aims to reduce crowds, encourage longer visits and improve quality of life for residents.
Proceeds from the entry fees will go towards services that help the residents of the city, like maintenance, cleaning and reducing living costs.
Read this article for full details on Venice’s tourist tax.
These are all the countries where you already have to pay a tourist fee to get in
Many countries already have a tourist fee in place, for a variety of reasons.
For some, it’s to do with trying to curb the number of tourists and to prevent overtourism.
For others it’s almost like a sustainability tax on each visitor. The money from these taxes goes towards maintaining tourism facilities and protecting natural resources.
Austria
In Austria you pay an overnight accommodation tax, which varies depending on which province you’re in. In Vienna or Salzburg, you’ll pay an extra 3.02 per cent on the hotel bill per person.
The tourism levy is also known as Tourismusgesetz and Berherbergungsbeiträge.
Belgium
The tourist tax in Belgium is also applied to accommodation, for every night you stay there.
The fee is sometimes included in the room rate of the hotel but some separate the cost out and make it a supplemental charge, so you need to check your bill carefully.
Antwerp and Bruges charge a rate per room. The rate in Brussels varies depending on the hotel’s size and rating.
In general it’s around €7.50.
Bhutan
While most countries’ tourist fees are below around €20, Bhutan’s tax is sky high in comparison.
The minimum daily fee for most foreigners is: $250 (€228) per person per day during high season and slightly less in low season.
But it covers a lot, including accommodation, transportation in the country, a guide, food, and entry fees.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria applies a tourist fee on overnight stays.
It’s very low and varies depending on area and hotel classification – up to around €1.50.
Caribbean Islands
Most Caribbean islands have tourist taxes added to the hotel cost or a departure fee.
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands all have some form of fee for visitors.
Fees range from €13 in the Bahamas to €45 in Antigua and Barbuda.
Croatia
Croatia raised its tourist tax in 2019. The increased rate only applies during peak season in the summer though.
Visitors pay around 10 kuna (€1.33) per person per night.
Czech Republic
You only need to pay a tourist fee in the Czech Republic when visiting the capital city, Prague.
It is very small (under €1) and paid per person, per night, up to 60 nights. The tax does not apply to children under 18.
France: Higher tourist tax in Paris thanks to the 2024 Olympics
There is a ‘taxe de séjour’ to pay in France. It is added to your hotel bill and varies depending on which city you are in.
The rates range from €0.20 to around €4 per person, per night.
Tourist hotspots like Paris and Lyon use the money to maintain tourism infrastructure.
In anticipation of the 2024 Olympics, the tourist tax on hotel rooms have increased by 200 per cent, as of January 2024.
Depending on the type of accommodation, the fee ranges from €0.75 to €15 per night.
Germany
Germany has what they call a ‘culture tax’ (‘kulturförderabgabe’), and also a “bed tax” (a bettensteuer), in cities including Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin.
The fee is around 5 per cent of your hotel bill.
Greece
The tourist tax in Greece is based on the number of hotel stars or number of rooms you’re renting. It can be anything up to €4 per room.
It was introduced by the Greek Ministry of Tourism to help cut the country’s debt.
Hungary
Tourist fees in Hungary only apply in Budapest.
Travellers have to pay an extra 4 per cent every night based on the price of their room.
Italy
Tourist taxes in Italy depend on where you are. In Sicily, fees range from €1 to €3 per night.
Whereas, Rome’s fee ranges from €3 to €7 per night depending on the type of room, but some smaller cities charge more.
Japan
In Japan it comes in the form of a departure tax. Visitors to Japan pay 1,000 yen (around €8) as they leave the country.
The official tourism website claims this small tax makes “a significant difference” to the economy.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s tourist tax is a flat rate and applied per night you stay.
It’s not much more than about €4 a night.
New Zealand
Many tourists, people on working holidays, and some students and workers coming to New Zealand must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) when they arrive.
But people from Australia are exempt.
It’s $35 New Zealand dollars which is around €21.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has a land tourist tax and a water tourist tax.
In Amsterdam, this currently amounts to 7 per cent of the cost of a hotel room. It’s called ‘toeristenbelasting’.
In 2024, it will rise to 12.5 per cent, making it the highest tourist tax in Europe. It will apply to cruise passengers and overnight visitors alike.
Portugal
Portugal’s low tourist tax is paid per person per night and is only applicable to guests who are 13 and over.
It’s around €2 and currently applies in 13 of Portugal’s 308 municipalities, including the cities of Porto, Lisbon and Faro.
You only have to pay it on the first seven days of your stay.
Slovenia
The tourist tax in Slovenia varies based on location and hotel rating.
It’s slightly higher in larger cities and resort towns, including Ljubljana and Bled – around €3.
Spain
If you’re heading to Ibiza or Majorca, you’ll have to pay a tourist tax.
The Sustainable Tourist Tax, which applies to holiday accommodation on Spain’s Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera), also applies to each holidaymaker aged 16 or over.
During the high season, the tax can reach up to €4 per night.
Valencia, meanwhile, scrapped plans to introduce a tourist tax in 2024 following last year’s election.
Switzerland
The tourist tax in Switzerland varies depending on the location. The cost is per night and per person and is around €2.20.
Quotes for accommodation usually do not include the tourist tax – it is specified as a separate amount, so it’s easier to keep track of.
And it only applies to stays under 40 days.
USA
A hotel tax or lodging tax for travellers renting accommodation is charged in most of the United States. It’s also called an occupancy tax.
The fees apply at hotels, motels and inns. The highest rate is reportedly paid in Houston, with a 17 per cent tax on your hotel bill.
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Travel
Sicilian town bans Mafia souvenirs to clean up its image before it becomes 2025 capital of culture
The ban comes as Agrigento readies itself to be Italy’s capital of culture next year and aims to shine the spotlight on its cultural riches rather than Mafia heritage.
In souvenir shops around the Italian island of Sicily, you’ll often find Mafia-themed merchandise from magnets and t-shirts to bottle openers and shot glasses.
The Sicilian mafia continues to operate on the island, engaging in criminal activities like extortion, narcotrafficking and kidnapping.
Agrigento is a town in southern Sicily still struggling with Mafia control – and it is also set to be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2025.
In a bid to change its international image and crack down on the glamourisation of the criminal organisation, the town has decided to ban the sale of Mafia-themed souvenirs.
Francesco Miccichè, the mayor of Agrigento, has brought in a ban on the sale of souvenirs that feature the Mafia.
It is common to find images and symbols of the underworld organisation on merchandise, including Sicilians in traditional dress holding a sawn-off shotgun known as a ‘lupara’.
The ordinance hopes to change the way tourists see the town and send a clear message that the activities of the criminal organisation are not condoned by local authorities.
“Considering that the sale of such products in the territory of Agrigento humiliates the local community, which has been committed to spreading the culture of legality for years, I order a ban on the sale of any type of object that praises, or refers in any way and form, to the mafia and organised crime,” the mayor told Italian press.
The local police force has been given powers to inspect gift shops in the town and issue fines if prohibited products are found. How much businesses will have to pay has not yet been confirmed.
Agrigento cleans up its images as it prepares to be Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2025
The ban comes as Agrigento readies itself to be Italy’s capital of culture next year and aims to shine the spotlight on its cultural riches rather than Mafia heritage.
The city council says the cultural programme will include 44 new projects which explore humans’ relationship with nature.
One of the most important events will be a concert by the Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo at the Valley of the Temples.
Tourists already flock to this UNESCO heritage site with archaeological remains that date back to when the island was an Ancient Greek colony in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
The city proper is a palimpsest of ancient, medieval, Baroque and modern architecture and there is a noteworthy archaeological museum.
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Digital nomads may be unwelcome in many places but one area of Spain is luring them with grants.
Once considered beneficial to a community, digital nomads have become unwelcome in many areas of Europe, accused of aggravating gentrification and pricing out the local population.
But one region of Spain is still keen to host remote workers – so much so that it is offering financial aid to those who relocate there.
Extremadura, an autonomous community bordering Portugal, is one of Spain’s lesser visited regions but nevertheless is home to wild nature reserves, fauna-filled mountain ranges and a capital scattered with Roman ruins.
Here’s who is eligible for the grant to move to Extremadura and how to apply.
You can get paid to be a digital nomad in Spain’s Extremadura
The regional government of Extremadura is offering digital nomads up to €15,000 to move to the area.
The autonomous community has one of the lowest populations in Spain and is one of the least-developed regions. It has one of the country’s lowest GDPs per capita and one of the highest rates of unemployment at 17.6 per cent compared to the national average of 11.9 per cent.
To bolster both the population and the economy, authorities in Extremadura have earmarked €2 million that will be used to aid the relocation of 200 remote workers and digital nomads to the region.
As well as receiving financial aid, digital nomads can enjoy a low cost of living compared to many other areas in Spain. When compared with the Spanish capital Madrid, the Extremadurian city of Badajoz costs on average 30 per cent less for meals out, public transport and utilities, according to Numbeo.
According to regional authorities, Extremadura lacks in transport infrastructure but has above national average fibre optic and mobile coverage.
Who can apply for Extremadura’s digital nomad grants?
Extremadura is targeting remote workers who are highly qualified professionals in the tech industry.
You must be able to work completely remotely and online “through the exclusive use of media and IT systems, telematics and information fields.”
Those who wish to apply have to commit to maintaining a remote job and living in Extremadura for at least two years.
Both those living in other regions of Spain and those living abroad are eligible as long as they have not lived in Extremadura in the previous six months.
Foreign nationals may apply, but must be resident legally in Spain and be in possession of a foreign identity number (NIE) as found on their green EU certificate or non-EU TIE card.
Non-EU nationals can also apply as long as they are already participating in Spain’s digital nomad visa scheme.
Those not in possession of a digital nomad visa would need to apply for this first and have it approved by Spanish authorities as well as obtain a residency document before applying for the Extremadura scheme.
How much funding will digital nomads receive?
Women, young people under 30 years old and those who relocate to towns in Extremadura with populations less than 5,000 are eligible for a €10,000 grant. Others will receive €8,000.
After two years, those in the first category who choose to stay on another year will receive a second payment of €5,000 while the others will be given €4,000.
When can digital nomads apply for the Extremadura grant?
The date when applications open has not yet been confirmed but authorities say it will be the day after publication of the scheme in the Official Gazette of Extremadura, likely to be around mid-September.
Authorities say applications will stay open until all the funds to cover around 200 digital nomads have been allocated which will be no less than a month but no more than a year.
How can digital nomads apply for the Extremadura grant?
Applications have to be submitted electronically using the Extremadura General Electronic Access Point. Applicants need to be in possession of a digital certificate or electronic Spanish ID card which allows for electronic identification.
You must submit your application form along with an official document issued by your country or another region in Spain to prove your current place of residence and a certificate from your employer authorising you to work in Extremadura or remotely in Spain or, if you are self-employed, a document detailing the terms and conditions in which you will carry out your professional activity remotely.
If you are moving from another Spanish region, you will need an original report supplied by the General Treasury of Social Security showing you are up to date with social security payments, a document certifying you are up to date with your tax payments and a certificate proving you don’t have any debts with the Treasury of Extremadura.
Documents not in Spanish need to be accompanied by a sworn legal translation certified by a professional.
Applicants will hear within three months if they have been successful.
Those successful need to register with a municipality in Extremadura to get a padrón certificate (a local record for people residing in a Spanish municipality) within three months.
After this, you have a month to request payment of the grant, which will be made in a single transaction.
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The latest generation of scanners allows passengers to carry electronic devices and liquids without quantity restrictions, but the European Commission questions their reliability and calls for a temporary restoration of the previous model.
Passing through airport security can be a tedious part of the air travel process but some European airports had managed to speed it up thanks to the installation of state-of-the-art scanners, which allow passengers to carry electronic devices and cosmetics of any quantity in their luggage without having to take them out.
But despite the equipment’s positive reception, Brussels recently called for a return to the previous model of limiting liquid containers to 100 milliliters.
Efficient but insufficient
The C3 EDSCB technology, as these advanced scanners are called, displays high-resolution three-dimensional images of baggage contents from CT scans and can easily detect explosive components in all kinds of cosmetics, liquids or electronic devices.
Passengers therefore don’t need to open suitcases or take out some of their belongings, which can create delays, and only have to pass through a metal detector.
But its effectiveness was called into question by a technical report that the Commission sent to the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) last May, according to which the software of these scanners cannot guarantee their reliability for containers with a content of more than 330 milliliters.
Then on July 31, Brussels announced the decision to apply “temporary” restrictions to these C3 explosives detection systems as a “precautionary measure” until “certain technical problems are solved”, a Commission spokesperson said. Officially, however, “the Commission has not changed its opinion on the quality of this new generation of scanners and their performance has not been called into question”, the spokesman added.
Airports already using the C3 model will now have to switch back to the traditional X-ray scanner, whose technology is insufficient to show in detail the interior of objects and thus detect explosive material in liquids.
Financial losses for airports
These new scanners are “eight times more expensive” with maintenance costs “four times higher”, so airports that have already invested in these new scanners to improve the passenger experience “will be heavily penalised, as the benefits associated with the use of this state-of-the-art technology will hardly materialise”, the Airports Council International Europe (ACI) said in a statement.
“Security is non-negotiable, it is one of the top priorities of European airports. Therefore, all airports will fully comply with the new restriction. However, airports that have been early adopters of this new technology are being heavily penalised, both operationally and financially,” ACI director general Olivier Jankovec said.
“The decision to now impose significant restrictions on its use calls into question the confidence that the industry can place in the current EU certification system for aviation security equipment,” he added.
Most of the passengers interviewed by Euronews at Zaventem airport in Belgium said they were used to not travelling with liquids and trying to leave electronic devices at home, so this change in regulations would not affect them too much. Those who had encountered the high-tech C3 scanners or the advanced body scanners at an airport, however, recognised a fundamental difference in the ease with which they gained access to boarding gates.
Nevertheless, the response is unanimous among airport staff and travelers alike: everyone wants to start their holiday as soon as possible and as easily as possible. To this end, those who have decided to postpone their break in September should make sure that sun cream and beauty products do not take up more than 100 milliliters if they do not want to waste any more of their free time at an airport checkpoint.
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