Visiting Amsterdam Will Get More Expensive – Here’s All You Need To Know

Next year, the Dutch capital will have Europe’s highest tourist tax. Amsterdam is set to increase the figure from the current 7% to 12.5%. The spike will apply to travellers staying overnight in hotels, short-term rentals or guesthouses and also affect those visiting on cruise ships.

This means, the tax on the average room rate of €175 per person will rise from €15.25 to €21.80 per night. In comparison, Paris’s tourist taxes average about €4 per person per night, while in Barcelona you can generally expect to pay about €2 per person per day.

Addressing Tourism-Related Nuisances And Disturbances

Additionally, the tax for travellers visiting on cruise ships will go up from €8 to €11 per person per day. So what is behind the city’s decision? The change has something to do with the mass-tourism trend that has become a significant concern for residents and businesses.

Amsterdam is actively working to prevent the kind of tourism that compromises the quality of life for its residents. Given the city’s population of nearly 900,000, it’s no surprise there is a growing aversion to the overwhelming number of visitors – 17 million last year.

There have been complaints about noise and unruly behaviour, amid the city’s Tourism Policy explicitly acknowledging the need to address tourism-related nuisances and disturbances. Not everyone, however, supports the tax increase as it will raise hotel bills.

Officials are seeking to promote products, activities and services that contribute positively to the city and the locals. The effort has included banning bachelor parties, implementing earlier closing time for bars and clubs, and prohibiting smoking cannabis in some places.

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What’s The Principal Goal Of Amsterdam’s Tourist Tax?

Amsterdam’s government says the new tax revenues will be invested in neighbourhoods and districts where the need is the greatest. The funds will support green and recreational spaces, address local challenges and support certain community resources such as youth centres.

One of the principal objectives of the higher tourist tax is to impose no financial pressure on the city’s residents. With locals already struggling with inflation, the tax increase next year will not affect them but will target only tourists instead.