All the Most Recent Tourist Taxes Announced for 2024

It’s more expensive ever to be a traveler, and that’s not just about airfare or hotel prices.

In the past 12 months, several destinations have announced tax tourists coming into their cities, ports, or regions, aimed at balancing the need for tourism to boost economies with the interests of the local people, environment, and infrastructure.

The taxes come as an anti-tourism sentiment starts growing in some destinations in Europe, most notably Spain, which saw locals burst into anti-tourism protests in several cities over the last few weeks with locals blaming mass tourism for the rising cost of living.

Here are some of the most notable tourist taxes announced in just the past 12 months (list is updating as more are announced):

Aruba Sustainability Fee

Aruba launched a $20 sustainability fee for air passengers flying into Aruba at the beginning of July. All visitors aged 8 and older must now pay through the country’s Embarkation & Disembarkation (ED) Card platform before airline check-in. 

The funds are being used to “upgrade the existing sewage water treatment plants and infrastructure as well as building a new, larger one to handle future demand,” according to Aruba Tourism Authority. 

Baja California Sur’s Tourist Tax

Mexico’s Baja California Sur is set to charge international travelers a mandatory $25 visitor tax, a fee that had been voluntary, starting in October.

Bali’s Tourist Tax

Starting this past February, Bali started charging all inbound foreign tourists a new tourist tax of 150,000 rupiah (around ($9.60 USD or $12.90 CAD). Bali’s tax included children headed not just to Bali, but also its surrounding areas, and applied to all ways of travel (land, cruise, or air).

Bali said the taxes would go towards “protecting the nature of Bali,” including the environment and the culture on the islands.

Barcelona Cruise Tax

Currently, Barcelona charges a 7 euro (around $7.60) fee for all inbound cruise passengers, but that could soon increase. In June, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said that the plan is to “substantially [increase] the tax for stopover cruise passengers,” meaning passengers who are in the city for less than 12 hours.

Barcelona Tourist Tax

Barcelona has been charging a tourist tax since 2012, which will increase starting in October. Starting then, visitors to Barcelona will have to pay a 4 euro fee on top of the regional tourist tax. The tax is added to hotel bills and doesn’t need to be paid ahead of time.

Edinburgh Tourist Tax

City councilors of the popular Scottish destination have approved a 5% tourism fee that would go into effect in 2026. It would be the first city in Scotland to implement a visitor levy. The tax would apply to those paying to stay in hotels, bed & breakfasts, hostels, and AirBnb rentals, but excludes campsites.  

The proposal moves to a 12-week consultation period, where residents can argue whether 5 percent is too much or too little to combat the impacts of tourism in the area.

Galapagos Entry Fee

Starting Aug. 1, 2024, the entry fee to Galapagos National Park is doubling to $200. There is a reduced fee for children under 12.

Greece’s Climate Tax

Announced in January, Greece is now charging a new climate tax for tourists that it said will fund disaster recovery projects in the country. The tax replaced a previously existing tourist tax.

The climate tax is added to the payment for stays at any type of accommodation, including all villas, hotels, and rentals. The standard tax, charged during the off-season, ranges from 50 cents to 4 euros per night ($.54 to $4.34). The new climate tax for high season depends on the type of accommodation and reaches up to 10 euros ($10.85) per night for stays at 5-star hotels. 

Lisbon Tourist and Cruise Tax

Authorities in Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city, recently approved an increase in its tourist tax that will go into effect in September—starting then, tourists heading into the city will have to pay a 4 euros fee, up from 2 euros.

At the same time, Lisbon is increasing tax on cruise ship passengers, doubling it from 1 euro to 2 euros, also in September.

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said in July that the increases are coming because of the need to balance “the externalities of tourism” with the quality of life for locals.

New Zealand Cruise Tax Increase

In July 2024, the New Zealand government took aim at the cruise industry, with a hefty hike on border processing fees for cruise ship guests that amounts to an 88% increase.Starting Dec. 1 the processing fee per cruise ship passenger will go from NZ$11.48 to NZ$21.54.

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia and the New Zealand Cruise Association have hit back, both at the staggering increase and the government’s lack of notice to the industry.

Quintana Roo Cruise Tax

While not live yet, Mexico’s Quintana Roo will start charging a $5 tax to all passengers arriving via cruise ship starting in 2025. According to Quintana Roo, the funds collected will be held in a disaster relief fund.

Quintana Roo Tourist Tax

Quintana Roo’s cruise passenger tax might not be live yet, but its foreign visitor tax for other travelers has been live since April 2021. All visitors aged 4 and up are required to pay the tax, which is around $10 to $11 per person.

The tax can be paid either at kiosks at the arrival airport, or online via Visitax.

The U.K.’s New ETA Visa Application and Fee

Starting on Jan. 8, 2025, all Americans and Canadians will need an ETA to get into the U.K., regardless of how long they are staying or their reasons for travel, including simply connecting through a U.K. airport.

The ETA, which was announced last year, will cost £10 (around $13.09 USD and around $17.77 CAD). It will be valid for two years after approval.

Applicants will have to fill in their information on the U.K. government website or via the U.K. ETA app on their phone. The application requires a photograph and some personal details, including passport information.

U.S. Virgin Islands Cruise Tax for Royal Caribbean

In October 2023, the USVI launched a new tax of $5 per passenger on all Royal Caribbean Group brands docking at the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas. This includes Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.

According to the Virgin Islands Consortium, the Capital Cost Recovery Charge (CCRC) goes towards funding “significant capital improvement projects” at the terminal. These include the construction of a third cruise ship pier.

Venice’s Day Tripper Tax

Venice just wrapped up its day-tripper tax pilot program, which charged day-trippers coming into the city a tax of 5 euros ($5.45) from April through July 2024. In total, Venice collected 2.2 million euros ($2.4 million) from the tax. While it didn’t seem to do so much to curb overtourism, the expectation is that the city will look to install the tax permanently.

Venice also limited the size of tourist groups at the end of 2023, in another effort to curb tourism.