What are Tourist taxes

The tourism tax is a fee levied on accommodations, restaurants, and attraction sites targeted at visitors.

Generally, city and local taxes are imposed on overnight or day visitors and can vary by season and location within a destination. The main variants are:

• Flat rate per person, per night
• Flat rate per person, per night, based on accommodation type and star rating
• Percentage of the room rate
• Flat rate per person, per day if not staying overnight.

The tourist tax has different names it's called across countries. These taxes are used to develop infrastructure or minimize damage from vacationers. Below is a list of the top ten European destinations in no particular order and their tourist taxes:

France

Tourist tax differs from region to region in France. There are two types: "Taxe de sejour" and "Taxe au reel”. These taxes vary from €0.20 (for 1- and 2-star campsites) to €4 (for palaces) per person and per night, bearing in mind that the city of Paris must apply an additional legal tax of 25% to the amount concerned. Places considered a "tourist town" or "resort," such as Paris and Lyon, collect the tax and use it to maintain tourism infrastructure. It is most expensive for tourists staying in five-star hotels.

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Spain

The tourist tax differs from place to place and from peak season to off-season in Spain, it may be a flat fee of 4 euros ($4.54) a day per person, according to Ireland's Independent.

In Madrid you won't be charged a tourist tax; however, in Barcelona visitors are charged up to 2.50 euros ($2.84) a day, according to the Daily Mail.

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Italy

Tourist taxes in Italy depend on where you are. Rome's fee ranges from 3 euros to 7 euros ($3.40 to $7.94) a night depending on the type of room or hotel star rating, according to Discover Rome, and the Civita di Bagnoregio, nicknamed "The Dying City" because of its location on an eroding hilltop, charges all visitors a 5 euro ($5.67) entrance fee.

The mayor of Venice introduced a 10 euro ($11.34) entrance fee for the city at the end of 2018. One local told CNN: "Venice is engulfed by tourists, and we have to reduce the day trippers in favor of a more qualified — let's call it 'luxury' tourism. The alternative is simply that we all are uncomfortable in Venice."

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Germany

In Germany, the size of each tax is determined by the authorities of individual states together with tourist associations. They have a "culture tax," called a kulturförderabgabe, a "bed tax," called a bettensteuer to name a few. From estimation, the taxes in Germany ranges anywhere from €0.50 to €5 per person, per night, or 5% of the room bill.

In Berlin and Cologne, tourists pay 5% of the cost of living in a hotel. Tourist pay €1.3 per person, per day in Dresden. It is common for the fee to be paid upon arrival, though some areas exempt children from the tax.

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Austria

In Austria, they have a tourism levy, also known as Tourismusgesetz and Berherbergungsbeiträge. Tourists are to pay an overnight accommodation tax which differs by province. These taxes range from €0.15 to 3.02% of the hotel cost per person, per night in Vienna.

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Russia

The fee is paid upon arrival at the hotel. In Altai and Stavropol, visitors’ accommodation facilities pay tourist taxes. The payment applies only to adults and amounts to 30 and 10 rubles per person per day, respectively. The tax is also being collected in several cities in the Krasnodar region, with the amount being about 10 rubles. The penalty for non-payment of the tax varies from 500 to 2 thousand rubles.

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The Netherlands

The Netherlands has a land tourist tax and a water tourist tax.

In Amsterdam, guests are charged  €3 per person per night in addition to a 7% hotel tax per room, with users of peer-to-peer lodging sites charged 10% per night.

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Turkey

The tourist tax in Turkey is charged per person and it varies in hotels. For a night at a five-star hotel guests would be charged 18 lira (£2.50) per person, while guests staying in a four-star hotel will be charged 12 lira (£1.60) per person, per night.

Three-star hotels charge nine lira (£1.22), and one or two-star hotels charge six lira (£81) per person a night. Children below 12 are exempted from these taxes.

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Belgium

Depending on which city you visit in Belgium, there is a different tourist tax rate. There is a fixed rate of €2.39 per person, per night for hotels in Antwerp. Children under 12 years of age are exempt*  For Bruges', it is €2, each per person per night. Brussels varies depending on a hotel's size and rating and can reach €7.50,

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Portugal

Portugal's tourist tax is low compared to the others. It is paid nightly, per person, and only applicable to guests who are 13 and above. The cost varies depending on location and is estimated at around €2. You only have to pay for the first seven days of your stay*

Remember, these taxes vary across province or cities in each country, and for some, there are exemptions for children. Do well to make the necessary enquiries upon entry to avoid being penalized.