Tourist Taxes in 2027: Costs, New Rules and How to Pay

The trip is paid for. So what is that extra charge at checkout?

It might be a tourist tax. A few euros per person, per night can be easy to overlook when booking, until the bill includes everyone who stayed, for every night of the trip.

Elsewhere, a visitor levy may need to be paid before arrival, while a departure tax is already tucked into the flight fare. That makes the real question: how much is already covered, and how much is still left to pay?

For a trip in 2027, the answer also depends on which new charges actually take effect.

Tourist taxes at a glance

Current rates and expected 2027 changes, checked 30 September 2026. US$ figures are approximate.

What is a tourist tax?

A tourist tax is any charge a country or city makes because you are visiting, on top of what you pay for flights, rooms and tickets. The money usually goes to the things visitors wear out: roads, rubbish collection, conservation and crowd control.

They come in three shapes, and the shape decides when you pay.

• Entry or exit fees. One charge per trip, paid online before you fly, at the border or inside your air ticket. Japan, Bali, New Zealand and the Galápagos work this way.
• Per-night charges. Added to your accommodation bill, either as a fixed amount per person or as a percentage of the room price. This is the most common type in Europe.
• Day-visitor fees. Paid by people who visit without staying the night. Venice is the best-known example; Greece's cruise port fee works in a similar way.

The per-night charges catch people out most, because booking sites often show them as "payable at the property" rather than including them in the headline price.

Which countries charge you just to enter or leave?

Japan: ¥3,000 departure tax. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026. You don't pay it separately: airlines and ferry companies add it to your ticket, so check the taxes line when you compare fares. It applies each time you leave, so a multi-country trip that goes in and out of Japan twice pays it twice.

Bali: IDR 150,000 levy. Every foreign visitor pays it once per trip. The easiest way is online through the official Love Bali site before you arrive; you get a QR voucher by email. You can also pay at counters at the airport or port. Only use the government site (lovebali.baliprov.go.id): copycat sites charge extra for the same voucher.

New Zealand: NZ$100 International Visitor Levy. You pay it when you apply for your NZeTA or visitor visa, not at the border. Australian passport holders, most Pacific Island nationals and transit passengers don't pay it. It isn't refunded if your application is declined.

Bhutan: US$100 a night. Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee is charged for every night you stay, which makes it one of the most expensive tourist fees anywhere. Children aged 6 to 11 pay half and under-6s are free. Indian nationals pay ₹1,200 a night instead. The US$100 rate is guaranteed until 31 August 2027 and Bhutan hasn't said what comes after. Our guide to why Bhutan treats tourists differently explains why the fee exists.

Galápagos: US$200 park fee. Foreign adults pay US$200 in cash to the national park when they land, plus US$20 for a transit control card before they fly to the islands. Bring US dollars in cash.

Thailand: proposed ฿450. Thailand has discussed an entry fee for years. The latest plan is a flat ฿450 for every foreign visitor, however they arrive, with the government aiming for the first quarter of 2027. A public consultation closed on 28 September 2026 and the plan still needs Cabinet approval. Until it's confirmed, don't pay anyone who asks you for it online.

Which cities charge you for every night you stay?

This is where most of the money goes, and where the rules differ most from place to place.

Kyoto. Since 1 March 2026 the tax depends on what you pay per person per night:

Tokyo. For now Tokyo charges ¥100 or ¥200 per person per night on rooms from ¥10,000. From April 2027 that becomes 3% of the room rate, and rooms under ¥13,000 a night will pay nothing. Budget rooms get cheaper; a ¥40,000 room will pay ¥1,200 a night instead of ¥200 per person.

Barcelona. Catalonia's tax plus Barcelona's own surcharge now comes to €6 per person per night in a youth hostel, €8.40 in a 4-star hotel and €12 in a 5-star. It only applies to the first 7 nights of a stay, and under-16s are exempt. The city surcharge goes up by €1 a year, with the next rise due in April 2027.

Paris. The charge depends on the hotel's star rating: €2.60 a night per person in a 1-star, €5.53 in a 3-star, €8.45 in a 4-star, €11.70 in a 5-star and €15.93 in a palace hotel. Unrated rentals pay a percentage, capped at €15.93. Anyone under 18 is exempt, but booking sites don't always take children off, so check your bill.

Amsterdam. The tax is 12.5% of the room price, one of the highest percentage rates in Europe. In June 2026 the city proposed raising it to 16% in 2027 and then to 20% by 2030. That isn't final yet.

Edinburgh. Scotland's first visitor levy started on 24 July 2026: 5% of the accommodation cost, charged on the first 5 nights of a stay.

The Maldives. Resorts charge a green tax of US$12 per person per night, and guesthouses US$6. On top of that, resort bills carry 17% tourism GST and a 10% service charge on everything, including food and drink. Children pay the green tax from the age of 2. Our destination dupes guide covers cheaper island alternatives.

Hawaii. The state's accommodation tax rose from 10.25% to 11% on 1 January 2026 to fund climate and conservation work. Each county can add up to 3% more.

Do you have to pay just to visit for the day?

Venice. On set days, mostly weekends and holidays in spring and early summer, day visitors to the historic centre pay €5 if they book at least four days ahead and €10 if they book later. You pay online through the city's Venezia Unica portal and carry the code with you. The fee doesn't apply to the lagoon islands such as Murano, Burano and Lido, and people staying overnight in Venice are exempt because they already pay the city's hotel tax. The 2026 season ended on 27 July.

Greek cruise ports. Since July 2025, cruise passengers pay a fee for each Greek port they call at. From 1 June to 30 September it is €20 at Santorini and Mykonos and €5 at other ports. Check whether your cruise fare already includes it before you book shore excursions.

What's new or changing in 2027?

Some of these are confirmed and some are still proposals. Confirmed changes are safe to budget for; proposals may change or never happen.

Confirmed

• Tromsø, Norway, 1 January 2027: a 3% charge on hotels and holiday rentals. Tromsø is the first Norwegian town to vote for a levy under the country's new visitor-levy law. The plan still needs final sign-off from the national government, and other towns in the region are expected to follow. Our Northern Lights guide covers why Tromsø is so popular in winter.
• Tokyo, April 2027: the flat ¥100–¥200 becomes 3% of the room rate, with rooms under ¥13,000 exempt.
• Barcelona, April 2027: the city surcharge rises by another €1 per person per night.
• Wales, from April 2027: councils can start charging about £1.30 per person per night, or 75p in hostels and campsites. Cardiff has said it will introduce the levy. Check each area before you book, because councils decide for themselves.

Proposed, not yet approved

• Thailand: a flat ฿450 entry fee, targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
• Amsterdam: a rise from 12.5% to 16% in 2027.
• Venice: a higher day fee, with up to €30 under discussion and a possible €50 on the busiest days. Italy's tourism minister has opposed new tourist taxes, so this is far from certain.

Ending

• Bhutan: the reduced US$100 daily fee is guaranteed only until 31 August 2027. If you're planning a trip for late 2027, check the rate before you pay a deposit.

How much do tourist taxes add to a real trip?

Percentages and per-person rates are hard to picture, so here is what the fees add to a 7-night trip for one adult staying in mid-range hotels. Double them for a couple, except where the charge is per room.

For most city breaks, tourist taxes add less than a single restaurant dinner. The exceptions are Bhutan, where the fee is a real part of the trip's cost, and Maldives resorts, where the 27% in GST and service charges on everything you buy matters far more than the green tax.

For full trip budgets, see our cost guides for Japan and Thailand, and our Bali or Vietnam comparison.

How do you pay tourist taxes without getting scammed?

Most tourist taxes collect themselves: they're in your air ticket, on your hotel bill or in your visa fee. The risk comes with the few you pay online yourself, because copycat websites charge a mark-up for the same thing, or charge for something that doesn't exist yet.

1. Pay online only through the official site. For Bali that's lovebali.baliprov.go.id. For Venice it's the city's Venezia Unica portal. New Zealand's levy is paid inside the official NZeTA app or visa application. If a search ad takes you somewhere else, close it.
2. Don't pay for anything that isn't live yet. ETIAS and Thailand's entry fee don't exist yet. Any site taking money for them now is not official.
3. Read the price breakdown before you book. If it says "city tax payable at the property", add it to your budget. Some hotels collect it on arrival, in local currency.
4. Check children's exemptions. Paris exempts under-18s and Barcelona under-16s, but booking sites don't always apply this. Ask the hotel to remove it before you pay.
5. Keep your receipts. Bali's QR voucher and Venice's access code may be checked, so keep them on your phone and on paper.
6. Bring cash where it's required. The Galápagos park fee is cash only, in US dollars.

Frequently asked questions