Regular travellers will know that entry, hotel and city taxes are becoming alarmingly commonplace around the world, adding another expense to beleaguered travellers already facing higher fares and impacted by rising Air Passenger Duty (APD).
The most recent announcement has been made by Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, who aim to set a five per cent tourist levy on all types of accommodation. This takes place on July 24, 2026 to raise £50 million annually to invest in the city’s infrastructure, and services and reduce the impact of tourism.
You can probably blame the Covid period when the travel industry suffered a severe blow. Some hotels and restaurants had to close and income for redevelopment was severely depleted. The industry is in a much better place post-Covid yet countries are getting on the levy bandwagon to boost their economies.
Yet sometimes it is about deterring tourists who have the habit of overwhelming hotspots such as Italy’s Venice. This tiny city receives a whopping 25 million tourists a year and this causes problems for their infrastructure. To deter tourism and to maintain their city, they have introduced a €5 daytripper tourist tax, but last-minute bookers will have to pay €10.
Some taxes and levies have been around for ages. Across the US hotel taxes are commonplace, and Brits travelling to the USA need to apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), a visa waiver program allowing travellers to stay in the country for up to 90 stays. It is valid for two years. The cost of an ESTA is $21 (about £17).
The Himalayan country of Bhutan has long applied the world’s priciest entrance fee, called the Daily Sustainable Development Fee, of US$100 daily to promote low-impact tourism.
In Greece, the gorgeous hot spots of Santorini and Mykonos levy a €20 levy on cruise ship visitors to these Greek islands during peak summer.
Anyone staying in a five-star hotel in Barcelona has to pay a tourist tax of €6.75 per night, totalling €47.25 per week. Spain’s beautiful Seville is planning to charge holidaymakers for Plaza de España entry to combat overtourism. More on this soon.
Hotel stays in Kyoto Japan, are subject to a lodging tax of up to 10,000 yen (£52) and tourists heading to Ecuador must now pay an entry tax of $200 (£155) for international visitors and $100 (£78) for those from neighbouring countries.
From 7 January 2025 the UK imposed a new fee of £10 for permission to enter. The online system is called Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), and visitors from the US, Europe, Australia and Canada and many other non-British citizens must apply to gain entry.
The EU too will begin implementing a new tourist visa-waiver program, ETIAS. Any non-EU citizens travelling from outside the Schengen zone will need to fill out an application online form online and pay €7 to enter the EU.
Meanwhile, Bali in Indonesia levies $10 (£7.70) tourist tax as a pre-emptive measure to deter badly behaved tourists. They have even compiled a handbook about bad behaviour which they give out to culprits.
Here is a snapshot of who charges tax:
Austria: The tourist tax of 3.2 per cent is added to your accommodation bill.
Belgium: The tourist tax hovers around £3.50, and is added to your accommodation bill.
Bhutan: Daily Sustainable Development Fee in Bhutan has dropped to $100 for adults.
Bulgaria: The tourist tax hovers around £1.30.
Caribbean Islands: Most Caribbean Islands make a charge. Visitors to St Lucia can expect to pay between $3 to $6, whereas in the Dominican Republic, it is higher.
Croatia: In Croatia, the amount you pay depends on the season and the lodging type. Expect to pay 1 Euro per adult traveller per day.
Czech Republic: in Prague, tourist tax typically costs around CZK 50 per night (around £1.71).
France: The tourist tax varies depending on the style of accommodation. Expect to pay ranges from less than one Euro for campsite stays to more than 10 Euros for five-star hotel stays.
Germany: In Berlin, the standard tourist tax is five per cent of the accommodation price. However this could vary in other German cities.
Greece: the price you pay in Greece depends on the standard and size of your accommodation. It shouldn’t be more than £3.50 per night.
Hungary: travellers should expect to pay four per cent of the cost of accommodation per night in Budapest
Indonesia: Travellers pay 150,000 rupiah (£7.60) upon entering Bali.
Japan: Expect to pay 1,000 yen (about £5.50) in tourist tax.
Malaysia: The cost of tourist tax across Malaysia is roughly £1.70 per night
Portugal: charges tourist tax in 13 cities, including Lisbon and Porto. The cost is €2 per night in high season (April to October).
The Netherlands: the amount of tourist tax differs per municipality. Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most expensive places for tourist tax at 12.5 per cent of the accommodation price.
Switzerland: the price of tourist tax varies and ranges from about CHF 2 (£1.81) to CHF 7 (£6.34) per person per night.
Slovenia: The rate hovers around €3.
Spain: In Barcelona, the fee is €4 (£3.48), whereas in the Balearic Islands, the fee is around €1 (87p).
Thailand: A travel tax to enter Thailand has been proposed for mid-2025. If approved, the fee will be around £6.87 for those arriving by plane.
USA: When travelling to the USA from the UK, visitors need to apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) to stay in the country for up to 90 stays. It is valid for two years. The cost of an ESTA is $21 (about £17).