Tourist taxes are increasingly being deployed by authorities around the world as a way to tackle “overtourism”.
New Zealand this week announced it is nearly trebling its visitor fee, introduced in 2019 to help protect the country’s natural beauty. Iceland reinstated its tourist tax this year after abrief pandemic suspension – raising the levy and expanding it to cruise ship operators – to fund conservation efforts.
This year, Venice began charging admission fees for day-trippers, while Amsterdam has increased taxes on overnight stays. Both cities are concerned that tourists are crowding out residents and putting a strain on creaky infrastructure.
Tourist taxes aren’t an entirely new idea. France first introduced a tourist tax on resorts in 1910. In the United States, most places have a hotel tax, as do many cities in Europe. More than 60 destinations worldwide have some kind of tax on visitors, tourism researchers say.
Bhutan, a small, Himalayan nation wedged between China and India, charges one of the highest fees globally – about $100 a day – to help preserve its pristine peaks from the hordes that visit nearby Nepal.
These are some of the destinations that are imposing new tourist taxes or planning to in 2024.
Iceland
Iceland's capital city Reykjavik. Photo / 123rf
Iceland’s natural beauty – bubbling hot springs, pristine ice caps and glaciers, and lava-spewing volcanoes – have made it a tourist hot spot. Millions visit the island nation annually, outnumbering the local population of about 400,000. This year, Iceland reinstated a tourist tax suspended during the coronavirus pandemic. The rate for hotel stays doubled to 600 Icelandic krona ($7) per night. For cruise ships stopping at Icelandic ports, for the first time, a charge of 1000 krona applied.
Bali, Indonesia
A sunset dinner at a beachfront restaurant in Bali. Photo / Getty Images
A sharp decline in visitors during the pandemic led residents on the Indonesian resort island of Bali to reconsider their relationship with foreign tourists and their environmental impact. In February, authorities imposed a tourist tax of 150,000 Indonesian rupiah ($15) to be used to preserve cultural sites and beaches, and to fund a crackdown on bad behavior by tourists.
Tourists take photos from a vaporetto in Venice. Photo / Chiara Negrello, The Washington Post
Venice has a love-hate relationship with tourists, who contribute about US$3 billion annually to the economy but crowd its narrow laneways and famed piazzas and leave behind a trail of trash. In April, it started charging day-trippers a fee of 5 euros a day (about $9). Overnight visitors already pay a tourist tax between 1 and 5 euros. Italian officials are considering raising the nationwide tax to as much as 25 euros, a prospect that has alarmed tourism advocates.
New Zealand
Tongariro Alpine Crossing at the Tongariro National Park. Photo / Bevan Conley
Seeking to protect the country’s natural beauty from an influx of tourists descending each year on small towns, once-lonely beaches and snow-capped peaks, New Zealand imposed a tourist tax in 2019. The government recently announced that the levy would nearly triple to $100 from October 1. (Australians and many Pacific Island residents are exempt.)
Amsterdam
Tourists sit on a terras in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photo / Getty
Amsterdam has been trying to counter overtourism in a number of ways, including banning the construction of new hotels, capping the number of overnight stays and launching a “Stay Away” campaign to deter “nuisance tourists” attracted by the city’s relaxed drug policies and liberated party scene. In 2024, it raised the tourist tax on hotel rooms to 12.5%, up from 7%. Day-trippers on sea and river cruises pay 14 euros ($25).
Barcelona
Tourists visit the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain. Photo / Getty
Thousands of locals took to the streets in this Spanish city over the summer to protest overtourism. Some were armed with brightly colored water pistols that they sprayed at bewildered diners on the city’s patioed streets. In October, the city will raise the tax on tourist lodging to 4 euros ($7) per night. Visitors also pay a regional tourist tax, which varies depending on the star rating of the accommodation.
Britain
Lewes, England. Photo / 123rf
Britain last year introduced an electronic travel authorisation (similar to the United States’ ESTA) for visitors from some countries. By the end of 2024, people who do not require a visa – including US and EU citizens – will need to apply for an electronic travel authorisation before they can visit. Although touted as a measure to improve border security, rather than a tourist tax, it will apply to tourists and cost 10 pounds ($22). (The European Union next year will implement a travel authorisation for short stays by visitors from 60 countries.) The English county of Kent and officials in Scotland and Wales are contemplating taxes on overnight stays.
