Authorities in Norway have recently approved a tax for tourists visiting the most popular destinations in the country.
Tourists visiting these destinations will soon have to pay a three per cent tax on overnight stays, and the fee is likely to be included in the accommodation expenses, Schengen.News reports.
The local authorities may apply the tax to their benefit, being also allowed to adjust the percentage depending on the season.
Revenues Generated by the Tourist Tax Will be Dedicated to Improving Tourism Infrastructure
Norway saw a record-breaking number of tourists in 2024 when 38.6 million people booked hotels or other accommodation facilities for tourism purposes.
These revenues generated by tourist taxes will be put to good use, as the authorities plan to allocate them for the improvement of tourism infrastructure. First, municipalities have to prove that their facilities are inadequate, which will grant them the right to spend the funds.
According to Cecelie Myrseth, Norway’s minister of trade and industry, introducing a tourist tax is a “historic agreement”. The minister also mentioned that Norway will be among many other countries in the European Union to have implemented such a tax in recent years.
Cool Climate Set to Make Norway Stand Out as an Important Destination for Tourism in 2025
Norway is expected to experience a boom in tourists in 2025, as tourists are increasingly in pursuit of destinations with cooler temperatures.
Last year, over 36 million people visited Norway, as accommodation bookings reveal. Overnight stays were up by 4.2 per cent, as Euronews reports, meaning that over 12 million overnight stays were recorded by tourists during this period.
One of the most popular destinations was the Lofoten Islands, which are known for hiking trails. According to the Norwegian Tourism Partners study, 77 per cent of people in Tromsø, in northern Norway above the Arctic Circle, found the tourism boom not so convenient, claiming there were too many tourists during this period.
Earlier this year, Spain’s Catalonia introduced a new tourist taxraising fees for holidaymakers to €15 per overnight stay. That is double the amount that was previously set by authorities in this country.
Moreover, the type of accommodation, ranging from economical facilities to luxurious hotels, can play a role on how expensive the tourist tax will be. Currently, tourists staying at five-star hotels in Catalonia have to pay €7.50. Those staying at four-star hotels can be charged at €5.70 or €6.25, especially those staying in rental apartments.