Natasha Shadeanna
Image credit: peter hessels
As of January 2020, the city of Amsterdam is imposing an additional charge to the already existing 7% tourist tax which will also affect accommodation costs in hotels, apartments, campsites and private accommodations. For now, all visitors are required to pay a flat fee of €3 per night per person, staying in a hotel in the city.
Tourists staying in Airbnb rentals will have to pay more too – an increased rate of 10 per cent per night. This increment will also impact costs of sea and rivers cruises, with the operators having to charge €8 per passenger who are not residents of the city.
Image: rop.photography
Although it is home to only 1.1 million residents, the laid-back city receives more than 17 million tourists per year. As of late, the tourism board of the country is moving away from promoting tourism and instead focusing on the management of visitor flows.
Although the tax hike is part of Amsterdam’s destination management initiative, it is not meant to deter tourists from visiting the charming city.
Following Paris and Rome, Amsterdam is the latest city to implement a tourist tax. Venice will also follow suit this summer. According to Tim Fairhurst, director of policy for the European Tourism Association, this will mean that Amsterdam now has the “highest overnight tax in Europe, on average.”
Also read: Bali Plans to Impose Tourist Tax
