Tourist taxes: All of the cities and countries you will have to pay to enter in 2024

Overtourism could have been 2023's word of the year in the travel industry.

News of the negative impacts of too many tourists was everywhere. The world's most popular destinations, like Venice, Barcelona and New Zealand, are struggling to keep visitor numbers under control. 

What is the problem with overtourism? Well, local residents suffer as property becomes unaffordable due to landlords buying up holiday lets. Authorities struggle to manage the rubbish left behind by tourists, and pollution contributes to the climate crisis.

One tactic that destinations are banking on, literally, is tourist taxes: fees that visitors have to pay, on top of the usual expenses like accommodation and food.

This is not a new concept, of course. If you've travelled abroad, you've likely paid a tourist tax before. You may never even have noticed it - as it’s sometimes worked into airline tickets or the taxes you pay at your hotel.

Read on for the places that introduced tourist taxes in 2023, and those that are to come in 2024.

In 2022, city authorities announced that Barcelona’s tourist tax would be increased over the next two years.

Since 2012, visitors to the Catalan capital have had to pay both the regional tourist tax and an extra city-wide surcharge.

On 1 April 2023, city authorities increased the municipal fee to €2.75.

A second increase will happen on 1 April 2024, when the fee will rise to €3.25.

The tax applies to visitors staying in official tourist accommodation.

The council said the proceeds will be used to fund the city’s infrastructure, including improvements to roads, bus services and escalators. 

Valencia will introduce a tourist tax for travellers staying in all types of accommodation in the region, including hotels, hostels,