Tourism taxes on the rise
Tourism taxes or tourist levies have shown an increase in the past year, with a number of countries announcing higher fees for tourists.
By what has brought this about?
As reported by Travel News, Tourism Taxes by Design, a white paper by Group NAO and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement, explains that tourist taxes established in the past decade have aimed to regulate overtourism and regenerate popular tourist destinations.
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According to this paper, the fees that are collected from tourists are used to fund the restoration of cultural heritage sites, help in the development of tourism infrastructure, nature preservation and even compensation for residents for different forms of pollution.
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Which countries will be increasing fees in 2024?
Some of the countries visitors should be aware of for increasing tourism taxes or the introduction of new entry fees include:
Bali, Indonesia
The Bali Provincial government has now finalised the International Tourism Levy, a tax on inbound tourists, of US$10 (R188) per passenger, per trip. This tourism tax is scheduled to begin on 14 February 2024.
The new entry fee will be used to to fund Bali’s cultural heritage as well as be put towards sustainability efforts including coral reef conservation, mangrove rehabilitation and other projects.
In order to pay this tax, tourists will have to make the application payment through the Love Bali website or the app before arrival. A tourism levy voucher will then be emailed, and travellers will need to keep this voucher on their smartphones for scanning at checkpoints at Bali Airport.
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tourists to the city of Amsterdam will have to fork out a little more when staying overnight in the city, as government officials have decided that a tourist tax increase is on the cards, scheduled to come into effect in 2024.
According to Amsterdam Finance Chief, Hester van Buren, the overnight stays tourist tax would increase from 7% of the cost of accommodation plus €3 (R61,49) to 12,5% of the cost of accommodation.
Cruise passenger taxes will also increase from €8 (R163,97) to €11 (R225,46) per person.
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Venice, Italy
Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, has confirmed that Venice’s authorities have decided to impose a €5 (R100) fee for foreign visitors planning to enter the city.
These plans to introduce restrictions have been on the cards since 2019, as part of efforts to reduce the massive amount of tourists that visit Venice every year.
The entry fee will be introduced in the spring of 2024 (March 2024).
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