Tourist taxes you will need to pay this 2024

Tourist taxes, or tourist levies, are additional charges that travelers must pay when visiting certain cities or countries. They are often used to fund local infrastructure, environmental conservation projects, or put a stop to overtourism.

They vary depending on the destination and can be of different nature. Here, we show you all the newest tourist taxes that you will have to pay in 2024 such as existing ones and their reasons behind. With this list of fees you will be ready for your trip without unpleasant surprises in the budget.

New or increased tourist taxes

Barcelona in Spain

Barcelona, one of the most visited cities in the world, is now increasing the tourists tax to €3.25 ($3.50) from the 1st of April. This comes as a second increase of Barcelona’s tourist tax, which was already increased in 2023 to a municipal fee to €2.75. 

You will only need to pay the first seven consecutive days of a stay. This means you can visit Barcelona for seven nights or one month and pay the same rate.

In addition, since 2012, all travellers staying in an official tourist accommodation, have had to pay a regional tourist tax in addition to the city fee. 

Goals of this fee: improvement of roads, bus services, escalators and more of the city’s infrastructures; attract high-value tourism over mass tourism and protect the environment.  

Valencia in Spain

Another part of Spain, Valencia, will introduce the Valencian Tax on Tourist Stays (IVET) at some point of 2024. If you visit any part of Valencia (like Alicante, Benidorm, Valencia capital, etc.), you will have to pay between 50 cents and €2 ($2.15) per night depending on their chosen accommodation, for up to seven nights. Cruise ship passengers will pay €1.50 ($1.60) per day.

Those staying in types of accommodation in the region will have to pay this levy.

Goals of this fee: provide affordable housing for locals in the most touristy cities and towns. 

Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera are other parts of Spain that have tourist taxes. They apply the Sustainable Tourist Tax to those aged 16 or over. During the high season, the tax can reach up to €4 per night, but it depends on the type of accommodation you are staying in.

Bali in Indonesia

Bali is going to implement a tourist tax from the 14th of February. Those arriving in Bali will have to pay a tourist levy of IDR 150,000, around €8.80 ($9.50) . This can be paid in rupiahs or by credit cards at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

Goals of the fee: preserve the environment, nature and culture of Bali. 

Venice in Italy

Venice is about to trial an entry fee, a day-tripper fee, for part of 2024. Travelers to Venice will have to pay a fee of €5 ($5.40) to enter on peak weekends and other days between April and mid-July.

This tourist tax will have to be paid during peak hours: from 8.30 am to 4 pm. Everyone over 14 years of age will have to pay the fee. According to the BBC, you will eventually have to pay on a yet-to-be-released digital portal, which creates a downloadable QR code that law enforcement can randomly check. 

Goals of the fee: reduce crowds, encourage longer visits and improve quality of life for residents with things such as maintenance, cleaning and reducing living costs.

Other parts of Italy have tourist taxes that depend on where you are. For example, in Sicily, fees range from €1 ($1) to €3 ($3.23) per night, while in Rome it ranges from €3 ($3.23) to €7 ($7.54) per night.

France

In France, there is the 'taxe de séjour', which is added to your hotel bill and ranges from €0.20 ($0.22) to around €4 ($4.31) per person, per night.

Nevertheless, in anticipation of the 2024 Olympic games, the tourist tax has increased by 200%. Depending on where you stay, the fee ranges from €0.75 ($0.81) to €15 ($16.16) per night in places like Paris and Lyon. 

Goal of the fee: maintain infrastructure.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands has a land tourist tax and a water tourist tax and it is expected it will rise to 12,5%. The fee for cruise-ship passengers will rise from €8 ($8.73) to €11 ($12) per person per day. The date of these increases are still unknown.

In Amsterdam, the tax, called toeristenbelasting, currently amounts to 7% of the cost of a hotel room. This tourist tax is already the highest in Europe.

Goal of the fees: address the consequences of overtourism, keep the streets clean and solve problems in neighborhoods and districts.

Iceland

Iceland is about to determine a tourist tax that should start in 2024. The amount of the tax and when it will be implemented is yet-to-be-determined.

Goal of the fee: help protect nature and fund sustainability programs, including Iceland’s goal to become carbon-neutral before 2040. 

Denmark

In the near future, Denmark will apply a “passenger tax” for flights as part of that nation’s green transformation of air travel. Travelers are expected to be charged roughly €8.40 ($9) for flights within Europe, €32.5 ($35) for medium-distance flights and €52 ($56) for long-distance flights, and it will be effective by 2030. 

Goal of the fee: support the use of 100%-sustainable fuels on domestic flights by 2030.

Thailand

Since 2022, there have been rumors going around about Thailand implementing a tourist tax. There hasn’t been a date set for this in 2024, but it is expected to happen anytime this year. 

When it was first rumored, it was said the tax would be 300 Baht ($8.62). Summer 2023, Thailand introduced a small fee to visitors arriving by air. They had to pay 300 baht ($9), while those arriving by land or water had to pay 150 baht ($4). The tax only applies to those staying in the country overnight and it doesn’t apply to those in transit.

Goal of the fee: help tourists if their health insurance doesn’t cover them and further develop tourist attractions.

More countries that have current tourist taxes

Olhão in Portugal

Olhão, a fishing town in Portugal, is charging visitors €2 ($2.15) a night between April and October (high season) and 1€ ($1) between November and March from 2023. It doesn’t apply to children under the age of 16 and it will be capped at five nights (a maximum of €10 or $10.77) per trip.

Two other municipalities of Algarve also charge a tourist tax: 

• Faro: €1.5 ($1.62) per night and up to seven nights between March and October.
• Vila Real de Santo António: €1 ($1) per day and up to seven days.

Goals of this fee: minimize the impact of tourism on the Algarve town and improve cleanliness and security.

Other parts of Portugal also have tourist taxes. In 13 of 308 municipalities, including Lisbon, Porto, the tax is 2€ ($2.15) and is paid per person per night. It is only applicable to guests who are 13 and over and you only have to pay it on the first seven days of your stay.

Manchester in United Kingdom

Back in April 2023, Manchester in England became the UK’s first city to implement a tourism tax. The tax is about £1 ( $1) and it is added to their hotel or rental bill per room per night.

Goals of this fee: boosting economy and street cleanliness.

Austria

Austria has implemented a tourism levy, known ad Tourismusgesetz and Berherbergungsbeiträge, which is an overnight accommodation tax. The amount of the tax varies depending on which province you’re in. For example, in Vienna or Salzburg, you'll pay an extra 3.02% on the hotel bill per person.

Belgium

Belgium applies a tax for every night you stay there. The fee is sometimes included in the room rate of the hotel, but some make it a supplemental charge. In general the fee is of €7.50 ($8), but the amount of the fee varies depending on the hotel's size and rating.

Bhutan

Bhutan taxes are some of the highest ones. Bhutan now charges $100 per person per day, which is high but not as high as in 2022. Back then the Sustainable Development Fee was $200 per day. 

Now, children from 6 to 12 have to pay $50 per day. Keep in mind that if you are from India, Bangladesh or the Maldives, you will just need to pay $15. 

Goal of the fee: increase tourist numbers in a controlled manner and increase economic benefits.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria applies a tourist fee on overnight stays. It varies depending on area and hotel, but it doesn’t surpass €1.50 ($1.62).

Caribbean Islands

Tourist taxes depend on the Caribbean island you visit, but most have taxes added to the hotel cost or a departure fee. Fees go from 13€ to 45€ ($14 - $48.5).

The Caribbean Islands include: 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.

Croatia

Since 2019, Croatia established a tourist tax of 10 kuna ($1.45) per person per night, during peak season in the summer.

Czech Republic

Prague is the only place where there is a tourist tax in the Czech Republic. The tax is under €1 per person (over the age of 18), per night, up to 60 nights.

Germany

Germany has the 'culture tax', in German kulturförderabgab and the “bed tax”,  in German bettensteuer in some of the major cities like Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin. The fee is around 5% of your hotel bill.

Greece

Greece applies a tourist tax based on the number of hotel stars or number of rooms you're renting. It can be anything up to €4 ($4.31) per room.

Goal of the fee: help cut the country's debt.

Hungary

In Hungary, Budapest stands out as the sole location where visitors are subject to an additional fee of 4% per night, calculated based on the room rate.

Japan

The tourist tax in Japan is a departure tax of 1,000 yen (around $8.60). You will have to pay this amount when you leave the country. 

Malaysia

Malaysia applies a flat rate of around 4€ ($4.31) a night.

New Zealand

When you arrive in New Zealand (for tourism, working or studying), you must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of $21.

Citizens from Australia are exempt.

Slovenia

There are different tourist taxes in Slovenia, but they are slightly higher in larger cities and resort towns like Ljubljana and Bled. Visitors must pay around €3 ($3.23).

Switzerland

The tourists tax in Switzerland is around €2.20 ($2.37) per night and per person, but it varies depending on the location. The fee applies only to stays that are less than 40 days.

USA

Most of the United States charge an occupancy tax to those who rent accommodation (hotels, motels, and inns). Houston reportedly has the highest rate at 17% on the hotel bill.