From Barcelona to Hanoi, travel hotspots levy tourist taxes and take other steps to curb crowds, pollution, bad behaviour

Tourist destinations are charging visitors entry fees, designed to stop overtourism, dissuade certain types of visitor and lower travel’s carbon footprint

Barcelona and Amsterdam have raised their tourist taxes, while Kyoto’s Geisha district has banned visitors

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A railway line in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a notoriously dangerous place for tourists, which is why authorities are taking measures to restrict their access. Elsewhere, cities and countries tax tourists or charge entry fees to manage visitor flows and encourage more environment-friendly travel. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 30 Mar 2024

The post-Covid travel resurgence has brought with it a corresponding spike in tourist taxes, entry fees and time-slot booking systems.

Aimed in part at clawing back income forfeited during the pandemic, the revenue-generating levies are earmarked for the upkeep of historical sites and tourism infrastructure, and for tackling environmental challenges. Others are designed to deter badly behaved travellers or to discourage low-end sightseers.

Several destinations have implemented a tourist tax.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is known for its beautiful beaches and, more recently, charging visitors to the island almost US$10. Photo: Shutterstock

The Indonesian island of Bali now imposes a one-off charge of 150,000 rupiah (US$9.50), with the proceeds allocated for preservation of the island’s cultural heritage and to promote sustainable tourism.

Barcelona, Spain

A tourist takes a selfie in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. Photo: Getty Images

Barcelona, Spain, has recently increased its city tax – book a suite in a five-star hotel from next month and you could be paying more than €45 (US$49) in municipal and regional fees for a seven-night stay.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Which brings us to Amsterdam. The Dutch city, which is doing more than most to dissuade the “wrong type” of visitor, has raised its tourist tax to 12.5 per cent of accommodation costs, making it the highest in Europe.

Brightly lit bars in Amsterdam. Authorities in the Dutch city have been trying to dissuade young, boisterous tourists from drunken revelry. Photo: Shutterstock

In 2023, the party town unveiled a somewhat blunt “Stay Away” digital discouragement campaign aimed at persuading boisterous young visitors that having fun doesn’t have to involve drunken, sleazy revelry.

Then, in a bid to attract culturally sensitive sightseers, the “Renew Your View” campaign was launched to encourage the appreciation of the city through the eyes of locals rather than as part of the mass-tourism phenomenon.

These initiatives come on the heels of a ban on cruise ships entering the city centre, a decision that authorities say aligns with their sustainable development ambitions.

Venice has already banned some ocean-going liners and is now in the process of introducing a €5 admission fee for peak-time visitors to the city. Photo: Bloomberg

Venice, Italy

Amsterdam isn’t the only place banning or restricting cruise ships. In 2021, Venice prohibited ocean-going liners weighing more than 25,000 tonnes, as damage to the lagoon, palace foundations and other centuries-old structures saw Unesco threatening to put the City of Canals on its endangered list.