Since January 1, the Riga authorities have introduced a deferred tourist tax due to the pandemic, which will be paid by the accommodation facility (hotels, hostels, etc.). It has been reported DEA News With a link to the Delfi.lv portal.
“From January 1, 2023, tourists in Riga, as in many other cities in Europe and the world, began to collect the so-called tourism tax,” the message says.
According to the portal, the tax is 1 Euro for each night a guest stays, but does not exceed 10 Euros. However, minors do not need to pay fees. The funds received will need to be directed to the “implementation of projects that support the development of tourism or tourism infrastructure and contribute to the international recognition of Riga”.
It is noted that there is a similar fee in other popular touristic cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Brussels, Lisbon. Riga authorities planned to introduce a tax from 2021, but postponed this decision due to the decrease in tourist flow during the pandemic.
Formerly Turkish Hoteliers Federation warned about a possible increase in prices for tours to Turkey in case of imposition of tax on hotel visitors. According to the statement made by the organization, the new tax, along with the increase in the maintenance costs of the hotels, will result in a loss of profits of about 20%, which will likely be compensated by the tourists.