US travelers slapped with travel tax in multiple countries - full list (2025)

Several countries around the world have or are considering implementing a tourist tax, which allows small fees from travelers to be reinvested into the country

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As summer vacation approaches, U.S. travelers should be aware of lesser-known "tourist taxes" cropping up in several popular destinations around the world. It comes as a major airline shocks travelers with a drastic baggage policy change.

A tourist tax is a small daily charge typically tacked onto accommodation bills that countries use as an additional income stream to maintain their attractions, among other reasons.

They are just one of the many hidden costs travelers can incur on their vacations, which also comes after a drastic baggage policy change, but they're a rather unpleasant addition to anyone's bill.

Experts have noticed an uptick in travel following the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that has been dubbed "revenge travel" after a global lockdown between 2020-2021 as the deadly viral disease ravaged the globe. One popular travel destination is using the 'tourist tax' to combat a problem.

Subsequently, travel experts dubbed 2020 the "year of the tourist tax" as more countries and cities joined a growing list of travel destinations leveraging fees on tourists to generate money.

Over 25 nations across the globe currently have a tourist tax - and more are currently considering it.

"Tourist taxes can play a significant role in how destinations manage tourism flow, but the implementation of these fees is also designed to deliver more of the economic benefits that tourism offers back to the host communities," said UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona.

There are nearly two dozen nations that currently have tourist taxes implemented that travelers should take into consideration while financing their vacations.

• Austria: varies but is 3.2 cents in Vienna
• Belgium: varies but in Brussels is €4
• Bhutan: about $100 until September 2027
• Bulgaria: varies but averages to £1.30
• Caribbean Islands: varies but ranges between $1-$6
• Croatia: varies but averages to €1
• Czech Republic: varies but in Prague is CZK 50, about £1.71
• France: varies depending on accommodation from less than a Euro to €15
• Germany: varies but in Berlin it about 7.5% of accommodations
• Greece: depends on accommodations, though recently has been raised to up to €8 for "climate tax"
• Hungary: varies but averages to £2 per six nights in Budapest and is not applied to kids 18 or under
• Indonesia: varies but in Bali averages to 150,000 rupiah, about £7.60
• Japan: is expected to increase but at certain destinations average to 1,000 yen, about £5.30
• Malaysia: averages to £1.70
• Portugal: varies per city but averages to €3
• The Netherlands: with one of the highest rates, tourists paid an average of 7% to 12.5% of accommodations in Amsterdam in 2024
• Switzerland: varies but ranges between CHF 2, £1.81, to CHF 7, £6.34
• Slovenia: varies but averages to €3
• Spain: varies but averages between between €1 and €4, except for Barcelona, which has a maximum €7.50 fee

Among the nations considering amping up their tourist taxes is Japan, which could come into effect as early as 2026.

The government of Japan is hoping to utilize tourist taxes to combat "over-tourism" in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Many are flocking to the country after going through lockdown, given the nation is a dream vacation spot for so many.