The matter in a nutshell The Tourism in Lofoten and in Western Norway wants a tourist tax to finance, among other things, toilets and rubbish removal. The vast majority of tourists that news has spoken to are willing to pay a tourist tax. The government has said that they will have a scheme in place during the year. They have set up a working group to look at the challenges related to tourist tax. How the scheme will work in practice has not been clarified. A government-appointed committee wants everyone entering Norway to contribute a sum. The county councils must then distribute the money further. The consultation round has just ended, and not everyone is happy with such a proposal. Senior researcher Agnes Brudvik Engeseth at Vestlands research believes Norway should dare to try a tourist tax. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Tourists defecating in nature, trampled paths and rubbish in nature have become a kind of sign of summer in Lofoten. For a long time, the tourism industry and the municipalities have therefore worked for a tourist tax to finance these kinds of challenges. In January this year, they were able to celebrate when the Minister for Business and Industry, on a visit to Svolvær, promised to get an arrangement in place during the year. Seven months later, the head of tourism in Lofoten, Line Renate Samuelsen, is impatient. Tourism manager in Lofoten, Line Renate Samuelsen is tired of waiting. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news – It has been a bit slow. We had great expectations when the minister visited us this winter, and we talked about visitor contributions and the challenges here in Lofoten. These days, Lofoten is full of tourists, and she believes that a trial scheme should have been in place already. – In 2021, we put forward a proposal for a pilot. We have worked hard to put some sort of arrangement in place together with the world heritage fjords in Western Norway, which also have their challenges. – Many people go and use nature, both locals and guests, and we need facilities, we need toilets and waste management, she adds. Tourists willing to pay Reiselivet i Lofoten receive support further south in the country. Managing director of Fløibanen, Anita Nybø, is very positive. – I personally think we should have it, because visitor management has become a major responsibility for both the village and the city. We know that not everyone is equally well prepared when they are going around, and perhaps especially in rural areas. Bergen and Lofoten are popular summer destinations. Photo: Malin Askevold Helle / news – There are many things we could get value creation from for the sums. We need maintenance, and both Bergen municipality and us need additional values to keep the plot up there in good condition. Several other countries already have different variants of visitor contributions. Michael from Oslo is on holiday in Lofoten for the first time. He can agree to as much as NOK 1,500 in visitor allowance, but then he wants a guarantee that the weather will be good. Dutch Minka and Arend say it is difficult to answer exactly how much they would have been willing to pay in visitor allowance, but a small contribution is fine. Danish Brigitte says she would still have come on holiday to Norway, even if she had had to pay a visitor’s contribution. In Svolvær, Americans Judy and Bill are enjoying the northern Norwegian summer heat. They are in Norway for the first time on a two-week cruise. – Norway is incredibly beautiful and we are so impressed by how friendly everyone is, says Judy. – Would you be willing to pay tourist tax to visit Lofoten? – Yes, as long as it is in its right place and for an obvious reason, then you are probably willing to pay, says Judy. – I would pay, because just to give an example, I’ve been looking for a toilet since we arrived, but haven’t found one. So now I’m looking for a bush, chuckles Bill. The tourists news met at the Fløibanen in Bergen are also willing to pay a possible tourist tax. August Jambak has nothing against paying tourist tax even though he is Norwegian. Juliette Boellaard from the Netherlands is willing to pay the tax of NOK 20 if it is positive for Norwegian tourism as a whole. Soisic Lebreton and his daughter Claire Giraud from France believe the amount of the visitor’s contribution is far too small and are willing to pay up to NOK 200. Victor Myranov from the USA believes it is about give and take. He is therefore very positive about such a visitor contribution. Skeptical of new proposal In March, it became known that a government-appointed committee proposes to introduce a tourist tax. – We want everyone who comes to Norway to contribute a small change of NOK 10 or 20, and that way we can develop better offers for tourists, says Trine Skei Grande to news now. The Fløibanen is full of tourists in July. Here, general manager Anita Nybø is busy cleaning up when many people from cruise ships arrive. Photo: Malin Askevold Helle / news She led the committee, and believes that it is the county municipalities that should distribute the money to the municipalities. The committee has not decided how that will happen. – What about Norwegian tourists, do they have to pay tax? – We are a member of the EEA, so we cannot treat foreign and Norwegian citizens differently. Therefore, everyone probably has to pay this when crossing the border into the country. The consultation round was recently concluded. When news asks the tourists in Svolvær why they come to Lofoten, one thing is repeated; the beautiful mountains. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news Head of Tourism Line Renate Samuelsen fears the proposal from the committee will cause them to lose control. – If it is collected at the border, we cannot, among other things, regulate prices in high season and low season. We are afraid that there will be too much bureaucracy if you are to start with application schemes and projects. The government: – Many challenges In the Ministry of Business and Industry, they are working hard on the topic, State Secretary Anne Marit Bjørnflaten points out. She confirms that Lofoten, Nordkapp, Beitostølen and the World Heritage Fjords are among those who want to test out a tourist tax in the form of a pilot project. – All the proposals challenge the current legislation and involve administrative issues, for example when it comes to how the visitor contribution is to be collected, she writes in an e-mail to news and adds: – Visitor contribution can mean that visitors are required to pay a fee linked to entry into the country or a geographically defined area, or through surcharges on one or more services such as accommodation, catering, trade and experiences in an area. Read the full response to State Secretary Anne Marit Bjørnflaten: – The ministry has received proposals for pilot projects from interested municipalities and tourism players, including Lofoten, Nordkapp, Beitostølen and the World Heritage Fjords. In addition, the destination committee points to opportunities for a national model. – All the proposals challenge the current legislation and involve administrative issues, for example when it comes to how the visitor contribution is to be collected. Visitor contributions can mean that visitors are required to pay a fee linked to entry into the country or a geographically defined area, or through a surcharge on one or more services such as accommodation, catering, trade and experiences in an area. – We are keen to find robust solutions, and have therefore set up an interdepartmental working group to make thorough assessments. The work has a high priority, and we aim to have the scheme ready during the year. It is too early to say how the pilots will be designed, but the goal is for them to provide both the municipalities and us with useful lessons that can lay the foundation for lasting solutions. The government has set up a working group to look at precisely these challenges. Bjørnflaten emphasizes that the work has a high priority, and that they “aim to have the solution ready within the year”. Dutch Arend enjoying the good weather in Svolvær. He says he is happy to pay a visitor’s fee, but it must not be too high. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news Researcher: – Norway should try a tourist tax Agnes Brudvik Engeseth is a senior researcher at Vestlandsforsking. She believes such a tax can go both ways, but believes Norway should dare to try out the scheme. – It may happen that some travelers to Norway, and we Norwegians, notice that there is a new tax that we are not used to. We are used to the common law, she says and adds: – At the same time, I think that many people will see it as positive to be able to contribute to ensuring that we meet good facilities, parking and that things are signposted. Lofoten is full of tourists. Several hundred thousand people come to the region every year. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news In the tourism industry and elsewhere, people have been skeptical of the tax. They fear that people will not come here because Norway is already expensive, according to the senior researcher. This has also been pointed out by NHO, but in January they were positive. – We must have faith that Norway is so attractive that this tax will not cause people to change course, while at the same time that we must constantly maintain quality and focus on good experiences, concludes Engeseth.
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Destination Lofoten wants a tourist tax for toilets and waste management – news Nordland
