Carlos Pinto de Sá, the mayor of Évora, Portugal, has made an announcement about plans of introducing a tourist tax from early next year.
According to Pinto de Sá, they would present the draft regulation at a council meeting for getting the opinion of local officials. The regulation is related to taxing overnight stays.
The Tax
The local media revealed that they would wait for the public discussion period to pass before the regulation is returned to the council to be approved.
It would then be sent to the municipal assembly, which is scheduled to have a meeting in December. The mayor wants to implement the tax from the beginning of the coming year.
He said that anyone who wanted to make a contribution was invited to participate. He added that the participants should listen to the Municipal Committee for Economy and Tourism and the associations.
They would then use the contributions for coming up with a draft regulation. He also revealed that this decision was in line with a process that had first been initiated in 2019.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic had struck in mid-2020 and had brought the process to a halt.
The Tourism Impact
The mayor went on to emphasize that even though tourism is undoubtedly essential for the entire economy. It has a huge impact on public spaces and increases waste.
According to the mayor, they would use the tax revenue they generate for covering the costs related to tourism promotion, waste management and heritage restoration.
But, certain groups would be exempted from the tax, something that had already been planned back in 2019. These include non-profit organizations, members of sports clubs and hospital patients.
These exemptions would only be applicable to those who stay overnight in Évora. Another exemption was also proposed.
This would apply to tourists who stay in the city longer than two to three days, as this is meant to encourage extended visits.
Tourist Fees
As far as the tax amount is concerned, the mayor mentioned that they had decided upon one euro per night back in 2019.
However, now they might consider a higher rate, which would align with other cities that are charging higher fees.
Pinto de Sá estimated that there would be 700,000 tourists who would come for overnight stays. He said that it was time for them to restart working on the documentation and update it.
This has been produced by a number of partners, which include Ribatejo Regional Tourism Authority and the University of Évora.
A number of municipalities in Portugal have started imposing fees on tourists for overnight stays, especially in the Algarve region.
The cities that are participating in this initiative include Olhao, Portimao, Faro, Vila Real de Santo Antonio and Albufeira. As per the initiative, they would charge 2 euros for every night in the high season.
The main purpose of these fees is to ensure that the cities that draw in a high number of tourists can manage tourist-related activities.
