Winter holiday spot loved by Brits plans new tourist tax
A TOURIST hotspot, which hundreds of thousands of Brits visit every year, could soon start charging holidaymakers to visit.
The potential fee was discussed by the country’s Prime Minister at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit in New York City last week.
Iceland may start charging holidaymakers who stay overnight in the country.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Prime Minister of Iceland, said: “Tourism has really grown exponentially in Iceland in the last decade and that obviously is not just creating effects on the climate.”
She added: “Most of our guests who are coming to us are visiting the unspoilt nature, and obviously it creates a pressure.”
If implemented, the tourist tax will be used to tackle the impact of tourism on the country’s climate.
While exact details remain unknown, the Icelandic PM revealed the tax would “not be high, to begin with.”
The scheme may look something like a city tax where overnight guests are charged for their stay – but details are yet to be announced.
According to the Icelandic Tourism Board, Iceland welcomed 1.7 million overnight foreign visitors in 2022 – a 146% increase from the previous year.
But Iceland isn’t the only holiday hotspot that could be introducing a tourist tax on future visitors.
From next year, Venice will trial a fee, which will see day-trippers paying €5 (£4.35) to visit the historical Italian centre.
The new measures have been introduced due to the overtourism the area suffers from.
Meanwhile, officials in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia want to introduce a fee for travellers to remind people to be courteous during their trips.
And it isn’t just holiday hotspots in Europe that have been discussing potential charges, destinations across the UK are also set to introduce new fees too.
Manchester tourists spending the night in the city will have to pay £1 a night, per room, as part of the new scheme.
And, St Ives in Cornwall is considering a tourist tax too.