Greece To Enforce “cruise Tax” For Tourists

Cruising conscionable sewage a small spot much expensive: nan authorities of Greece will now enforce a alleged “cruise tax” for visitors disembarking successful celebrated Greek ports, successful an effort to combat land overcrowding. This caller tax, which could beryllium anyplace from €1 to €20, was announced past period and will beryllium successful unit from Monday, July 21 (although this is not news to nan islands of Mykonos and Santorini, which person already begun to beryllium taxed since past month).

From past month, June 1 to September 30 of this year, nan taxation for disembarking successful some Mykonos and Santorini will beryllium €20 per person. For different ports, it will beryllium €5, and successful nan lawsuit of smaller islands for illustration Symi, nan complaint will beryllium €3. From October 1 to 31 and from April 1 of adjacent twelvemonth to May 31, nan value for nan 2 islands will beryllium €12, and for different islands it will beryllium €3. Finally, from November 1 to March 31, nan value for nan 2 islands will beryllium €4, and for nan smaller islands, it will beryllium €1. If nan cruise interest is not paid, nan cruise institution will beryllium made responsible.

Greece’s sustainable tourism commitment

The caller taxation will beryllium enforced astatine each ports sloppy of whether it is simply a boarding aliases transit station, and will beryllium issued to each passengers sloppy of age. Tourism Minister of Greece, Olga Kefalogianni, unveiled nan scheme acknowledging nan value of cruise vessel passengers for nan Greek economy, while besides emphasising nan caller measurement arsenic portion of a sustainable tourism scheme that will put nan residents of Greece astatine nan forefront of tourism-related decisions.

It’s notable that passengers disembarking for aesculapian reasons aliases vessel crews disembarking astatine Greek ports will beryllium exempt from this tax.

Kefalogianni stressed that nan country’s tourism plans should dainty moderation and equilibrium pinch value and that 1 of their main objectives should beryllium to amended tourism extracurricular of highest season, while besides supporting section system and Greek communities.

Darr successful opposition

However, Bud Darr, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), warned against nan implementation of taxes during highest season. He claimed that nan caller tourer taxes could effect antecedently group itineraries and displacement nan work and imaginable backlash onto nan cruise vessel companies. In April of this year, Darr stated that cruise companies do not support abrupt fees arsenic a instrumentality to combat overtourism, and recommended nan authorities to find replacement strategies to combat land overcongestion during highest season.

The tourism taxation hype train

While Greece is 1 of nan astir caller countries to employment this caller benignant of tourism tax, it’s acold from nan first to do it. Italy has been employing mini fees for visitors since past year, pinch a day-tripper interest successful Venice of astir €5 to €10, for visitors who don’t enactment overnight. Spain has besides been expanding its location tourer taxes, particularly successful nan awesome tourism hubs of nan Balearic Islands (especially Mallorca) and Barcelona. Other countries hopping connected nan inclination see Belgium, Norway, Canada, nan United States, and Mexico.