Published On: Fri, Apr 5th, 2024

European tourist taxes would put half of Britons off visiting their favourite destination | Travel News | Travel


Many of the charges have been introduced in a bid to combat overtourism in some of Europe’s most overcrowded destinations.

But will the fees stop British tourists from visiting?

According to new data from Staysure, 51 percent of British tourists say they would be less likely to visit somewhere if they were forced to pay a tourist tax.

More than 15 percent of Britons said they would never visit a country with a tourist tax.

Meanwhile more than half of Britons said they’d be less likely to visit a destination if locals were protesting about overtourism there.

Graffiti telling tourists to ‘go home’ in Tenerife has caused anger and worry among some British holidaymakers.

More than half of British tourists thought that visitors should be considered a protected group in countries where tourism contributes to the local economy.

Despite this, more than 90 percent of tourists said that holidaymakers had a responsibility to help protect a country’s environment and way of life.

Simon McCulloch, Staysure’s chief commercial officer, said: “Since the pandemic, more countries have introduced some form of tourist tax, to boost local economies through charging travellers a daily fee. 

“What this data highlights are the unintended consequences of introducing a tourist tax. In a cost-of-living crisis every penny does count and when saving up for that well deserved holiday, consumers may not expect to be met with additional charges.

“Holidaymakers will need to plan for these extra costs and build them into their overall holiday budget, along with buying their travel insurance policy, to ensure they have all things covered as soon as they book a trip.

“The large number of tourists that once flocked to these destinations simply may not feel welcome anymore or may feel that visiting a destination that is over-visited may not be the best thing for them from a sustainability, or experience perspective. 

“While tourist taxes might feel like the only option, other solutions may need to be considered to create the right balance between the economic benefits of tourism and the cultural and environmental challenges that can be problematic for the local communities.”

Amsterdam now has Europe’s highest tourist tax while Paris has raised its tax ahead of the Summer Olympics.



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