London considers a tourist rate: this is what it might mean for visitors

BarcelonaBerlin, Paris, Prague and Venice. almost, London You can join the growing list of European cities that They receive a tourist tax. In one of the ten annual gatherings of questions that turned into the heads of the London municipality this month, the mayor of the city, Sadiq Khan, was valid Imposing a modified visitors From the British capital. He explained that the tourists “do not mind paying a few euros from more” to go on vacation elsewhere.

But though Some European cities have succeeded in planting tourist pricesIts effect was not always simple. Some argue that they are necessary to maintain the tourist infrastructure, but others are concerned that they can spoil visitors in the long run. Can the London tourism rate achieve enough?

How much money does tourism prices generate and what they use?

Throughout Europe, Tourism prices They have become a common source of fundraising for cities that are fighting to manage Excessive tourism Covering public services. in BarcelonaFor example, visitors currently pay up to 4 euros per night, as well as a regional tax. These high prices generate a lot of money for the city, up to 100 million euros annually, which is allocated In infrastructure maintenanceImproving public transport and preserving historical places.

Paris Change visitors It reaches about 16 euros per night It remains in its most expensive hotels, which generate millions of euros annually to finance cultural projects and urban improvements. Yes London Follow the example, the rate can raise large sums. Official estimates indicate that the tax of 5 % on residences during the night can generate about 240 million pounds (285 million euros) per year.

Although official plans were not determined, Khan said that Money will support the tourism sectors And hospitality. “My promise for hotels and tourist floors is that the money will be used to improve the environment, to encourage more tourists,” he said.

Can a tourist rate in London harm your hotel sector?

With increased rates, Critics doubt their influence. Barcelona Association announced the local media hotel in February Five rituals It may cost 15 euros per night, and the most valuable tax) is supposed to “financial suffocation” for one of the most important sectors of the city.

Rifle This year will double the tax that imposes taxes on tourists and short visitors, which will move from 5 to 10 euros. Although the tax reached 2.2 million euros to the city in 2024, the authorities indicated this It barely praises the type of tourism that struck the public spaces From the city and the expulsion of the population.

At the beginning of the year, the work of everything Gallis San David closed their doors to protest the proposed tax. The opponents have argued that he would make Wales less competing at a time when tourism -based companies were still recovering from the losses caused by the epidemic.

In London, where Hotel prices They are already among the highest in Europe, an additional insertion can be a friction point. With tourism around the prepaid levels (Visitbritain 41.2 million visits in 2024, only more than 1 % of 2019), some fear that the tax can discourage travelers from concern about the budget.

The Tourism Group at Ukhospitality, the British newspaper, “The Standard”, told additional taxes They will be “very fierce”.

Will London join the cities that receive taxes?

Last year, Europe witnessed a series of protests against tourism. toAmsterdam in Canary IslandsIt passes GreeceThe residents moved to the streets to express their frustration with the uncompromising increase of visitors and the impact of industry on housing, health and other public services.

Tourist prices have not yet been achieved Stop the wave of visitorsBut they gave birth to millions of cities that are fighting to keep them in a critical situation. Since the main European destinations already benefit from these prices, London may be inevitable.

But its success will depend on how it appears: as a necessary tool to support local infrastructure or as an unintended additional costs Travelers. With the development of the discussion, one thing seems safe: the conversation on the tourist economy in London focuses on more than “some additional euros”.