Amsterdam announces the increase in the tourist tax from 2024. It will become the most expensive in Europe and the fourth highest in the world. From next year, in fact, tourists will pay 12.5% more.
The final price will depend on the cost of the room they are staying in, “but tourists will pay on average 22 euros per night in taxes instead of 15 euros previously, for a room that costs 175 euros per night,” said Hester Van Buren, the deputy mayor.
Cruise lines will instead pay 11 euros per personan increase compared to the previous price of 8 euros.
The municipality hopes that the tourist tax increase could generate a contribution of 65 million euros to the city’s economy, with this money used to pay for local services.
Amsterdam is expected to welcome more than 20 million visitors this year, but the city is considering tactics to limit the number of arrivals, such as banning cruise ships from entering the city center. The deputy mayor explains that Amsterdam is working with other cities suffering from overtourism – such as Venice and Barcelona – to study methods to manage the high number of domestic and foreign visitors.
The city is also considering introducing an entry fee for day tourists, something similar to what was approved in Venice last month. “We also have to take care of day trippers – adds Van Buren – Of course it is not possible to install turnstiles so that no one can enter the city, but we will study a way to charge daily visitors a kind of municipal tax.
