Another extremely popular destination plans to capitalize on them by imposing a tribute in the form of a tourist tax. We are talking about the Greek capital – the city of Athens, which is visited by 3.5 million tourists a day during the high tourist season, can “improve its economy” at the expense of tourists. This is exactly what Kostas Bakoyannis, the mayor of Athens, made.
“Athens has 650,000 permanent residents and serves 3.5 million people a day, so it is under additional pressure from the influx of tourists,” said Mr. Bakoyannis to the Union of Municipalities and Communities. He also noted that popular tourist destinations in Europe, including Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin and Rome, have already introduced the practice of levying a tax on tourists.
At the same time, in general for Greece, according to the Hellenic Statistical Office (ELSTAT) for September, tourism was a key driver with GDP growth of 7.7% in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2021. The country plans to earn about 18 billion euros from tourists.
The size of the planned tax and the methods of its collection have not yet been specified. In Barcelona, for example, it varies depending on the “star” of the hotel, a maximum of 2.5 euros is paid by “luxury” tourists.
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