The importance of knowing the tourist rates before hiring a trip

Fernando Borjas
11/03/2019 11:50
La importancia de conocer las tasas turísticas antes de contratar un viaje

La importancia de conocer las tasas turísticas antes de contratar un viaje

When we are going to contract a trip with an agency we have to make sure that it includes all the expenses. For example, transfer costs and local rates. This last cost usually goes in the fine print of the contracts and refers to the tourist rates that some countries or localities have. In most cases they are usually not included in the cost of the trip.

Knowing the amount of these tourist fees is sometimes a bit complicated because they are not the same nor do all countries have them. Even some cities do not charge them within the same country; For example, in Barcelona there is a tourist tax and in Madrid there is no. The local and regional authorities are the ones that decide if they charge the rate to the tourist who stays overnight in their accommodations and who decide whether or not to increase the prices of these rates. If we do not want to have last minute surprises, we must know these tourist rates.

Tourist rates in Europe

Many European countries and cities have established these tourist rates. For example, in Amsterdam you pay 6% of the room price and in Berlin 5% that can be applied to a maximum of 21 days of stay.

In Paris, the rate goes from 0.22 euros in a campsite to 4.40 euros in a palace, with the exception of those under 18 years. The tourist rate in Brussels is 4 euros per room in hotels and 3 euros in the case of tourist rental platforms or campsites. Budapest, Prague and Vienna also charge accommodation fees.

In the Portuguese cities of Lisbon and Oporto the rate is from 1 to 2 euros. Children under 13 are exempt, those displaced by medical issues and people with a disability of 60% or more. In Italian cities such as Rome, Milan and Venice apply different rates ranging from 2 to 7 euros per person and night in a hotel in Rome, between 1 and 5 euros in hotels in the center of Venice. As European capitals that do not have tourist tax are London and Madrid.

Sweden was the last to adopt a tax for travel and the funny thing is that a fee of 39 euros has been established for each passenger taking off from a Swedish airport. A rate that has been adopted to minimize the impact of CO2 emissions.

Tourist rates in Spain

In Spain only the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands impose tourism taxes on their visitors. In Barcelona a tax is maintained for tourists staying in the city that goes from 2.25 euros per person per day if you stay in a five-star hotel at 0.65 euros for those who do so in other establishments that They are not hotels or tourist apartments. This includes tourists who have chosen vacation rental platforms.

In any other Catalan locality the quota goes from 0.45 to 2.25 euros. As a maximum they can charge a fee for a seven-day stay. Even the boats have to pay for mooring in any port of the territory of Catalonia and the amounts are depending on the duration. Only social travel programs subsidized by the Public Administration, stays for health reasons and travelers under 17 are exempt.

In the Balearic Islands in 2016, the ecotax was chosen whose price doubled in 2018. In 2018 the Balearic government decided to set two bonuses on this ecotax. The first 75% for those traveling in the low season and the second 50% for long stays from the ninth day. This ecotax can be a maximum of 4 euros and a minimum of 2 per night depending on the accommodation categories. Also those who arrive and spend the night on a cruise have to pay 2 euros.

Each year the rates change in each country or locality so if you want to know the current situation, you can look here. The best advice is to look for a reliable travel comparator such as Liligo to help us compare the costs of our trip and avoid the last minute surprises that we can take in terms of expenses.

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