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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Kate Lally

Spain and Portugal resorts you'll now be charged extra to visit

A number of European destinations popular with UK tourists now charge an additional fee to those who want to visit.

Many cities and regions implement a tourist tax including plenty in Spain and Portugal. The measure is aimed at generating revenue for the local area to fund infrastructure and to support the economy.

If you have had a holiday abroad before, you're likely to have already paid a tourist tax, though you may not have realised as it is sometimes included in the cost of the holiday or the taxes paid at your accommodation.

READ MORE: Spain travel warning over little-known £93 rule for tourists

We've taken a look at some destinations that are popular with UK tourists where visitors will be charged an additional fee in 2023.

Spain

Barcelona

Travellers taking a trip to Spain's most visited city will have to pay a nightly fee of between €4 and €5.25 for their accommodation. Cruise passengers who spend over 12 hours in Barcelona also need to pay €3 to the region and €1.75 to the city.

Local authorities have also announced that Barcelona’s tourist tax will increase in the next two years, according to SchengenVisaInfo.

Balearic Islands

The Balearic Islands, which includes Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, also apply a tourist tax. Everyone aged 16 and above will be required to pay a fee between €1 and €4 per night.

Cruise passengers are also required to pay a fee of €2.

Valencia

The Valencia region, which includes Alicante and Benidorm, will introduce a tourist tax from the end of this year or the beginning of 2024, local officials have said.

The charges will be between 50 cents and €2 a night, depending on the type of accommodation.

Portugal

A number of Portuguese municipalities already charge a tourist tax and these include Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga, Póvoa do Varzim, Coimbra, Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Mafra, Óbidos, Faro, Vila Real de Santo António and Santa Cruz.

It is applicable to all guests aged 13 and over and is around 2 euros per night. You also only have to pay it for the first seven days of your trip.

Olhão, a Portuguese fishing town popular with tourists, will also start charging visitors €2 a night between April and October, according to EuroNews. The amount will reduce to €1 between November and March, will not apply to children under the age of 16, and will be capped at five nights.

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