Tourist tax: These are the destinations you’ll have to pay to enter

The concept of tourist tax isn’t a new one. City tax has long been the norm for many countries in Europe such as Greece, Spain and Germany, and hotel tax is standard across many destinations, including US states. The impact of Covid on the travel industry was severe – hotels, restaurants and hospitality venues closed, people that relied on tourism for their livelihoods suddenly faced huge losses, and money that the government relied on for development and maintenance was depleted. As a result, while travel continues to normalise post-pandemic, many countries have decided to implement a tourist tax to boost economies and reinvigorate locals. Below, we take a look at what exactly tourist tax is, and which countries are introducing the measure for 2024.

What is tourist tax?

Originally, tourist tax was introduced by certain governments with the aim of tempering over-tourism and generating income from large numbers of travellers entering the destination. Bhutan, for example, has asked tourists to pay a significant sum of money to enter since it opened to travellers in 1974. The country uses the tax (called the Daily Sustainable Development Fee) in an attempt to preserve the country’s natural, undisturbed beauty and to protect traditional Buddhist culture. Similarly, Barcelona uses the city’s tourist tax to fund construction and development projects locally – typically it is around €5 per day per person. Most tourist taxes are added onto the cost of your accommodation.

Alexander Spatari

Which destinations will begin imposing tourist taxes in 2024?

• In Italy, Venice are charging day tourists a fee as of spring 2024
• The Indonesian government has announced that a tourist tax will be imposed on travellers visiting Bali from 14 February 2024
• In 2024, the UK is imposing a new system called an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), whereby visitors from the US, Europe, Australia and Canada will be required to apply for permission and pay to enter the country.
• Next year, the EU will begin implementing a new tourist visa, whereby non-EU citizens travelling from outside the Schengen zone will need to fill out a €7 application to enter the country.