More and more destinations around the world are introducing tourist taxes and there is a large number of European countries and cities that have started implementing it. It usually consists of a fee that applies per person per night. The tourist tax is payable locally, and usually at check out from your accommodation.
In France, there is a tourist tax or "Taxe de Séjour", which is charged per person, per night and varies according to the standard and quality of the accommodation.
The rates range from €0.50 to €5,75 per person, per night. The detailed price breakdown is available (in French) on the service-public.fr website. To calculate the actual tourist tax amounts due, multiply the rate applicable to each category of accommodation by the number of nights and the number of taxable persons. Children under 18 are exempt from the tax.
An additional tax can also be added by the counties and regions. For example, the Île-de-France region recently introduced an additional “Grand Paris” tax of 15%.
There are currently no tourist taxes in England, but they could be imposed on visitors to some of the UK's leading destinations in the coming years.
There are currently no tourist taxes in Ireland.
There are currently no tourist taxes in Scotland, but there are undergoing discussions.
There are currently no tourist taxes in Wales, but there are undergoing discussions.
In the Netherlands, there is a tourist tax of €3 per person per night payable locally. Some hotels have included it in their rates and some have not. You will be informed at the time of reservation if it is payable at the hotel upon check out.
In Italy you will be charged between €2 - €2.50 per person per night in tourist taxes.
In Switzerland you will be paying tourist taxes, the amount varies in different cantons and towns & cities.