As early as next year, tourists in Lofoten may have to pay an additional tax on tourism-related services such as accommodation, organized tours and souvenirs. It became clear when Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) visited Svolvær in Lofoten on Thursday. Nordkapp, Beitostølen, Geiranger and the world heritage fjords in Western Norway may also introduce a local tourist tax, or visitor contribution, as the government calls it. Lofoten has long applied to be a pilot for such an arrangement, and when the details of the legal and practical aspects are clear, Lofoten will be the first to go. – There is a reason why I am here in Lofoten with a smile on my face and it is precisely because we are starting the visitor contribution project here, says Vestre. – It is a region that has wanted it for a long time, worked for it, been creative and come up with good proposals – and I think we should reward that, says Vestre. Tourism manager in Lofoten, Line Samuelsen, is more than satisfied with the news that came today. Head of tourism at Destination Lofoten, Line Renate Samuelsen. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news – I almost have tears in my eyes because I am so happy, and now we have finally come so far that this can happen. For several years, we have been advocating for the public goods in the region to be financed from the visitors. We look forward to this getting started, says Samuelsen. Samuelsen is satisfied, and says that it has been a wish for several decades. – The first project was probably in 2009, but we have been talking about it even longer. We have been working on this for a long time and now we look forward to it during the year. NHO has reversed NHO Reiseliv has been critical of the introduction of what they call a tourist tax. They have previously believed that it is expensive enough to holiday in Norway without having to be taxed extra. But now they have turned around. NHO Nordland, Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen Photo: Allan Klo / news Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen in NHO Nordland says that they recognize that there is a need for better models for public goods than what exists today. – We see when there is very high pressure of visitors in popular areas, it creates some challenges that need to be addressed. There are many ways to do it. – We are positive about testing out new ways of solving it. A tax for tourists has been discussed for several years. Now Lofoten can already in the summer of 2023 become a pilot for visitor contributions, or tourist tax. – It is important that the money goes unabated to invest in, among other things, the toilet facilities that are being discussed. They must not go into the big drain in the state, county or municipal coffers. – They must be allocated and targeted towards measures that are necessary at the individual destination. Bjarmann-Simonsen makes no secret of the fact that NHO has been critical of the scheme in the past. Now that the tax is to be introduced, it is important to look at the whole, he believes. – The reason why we have been skeptical is that the industry pays a lot of tax from before. In connection with the pandemic, the industry was hit hard and is still rebuilding. – When you are going to introduce something, you have to look at the whole of the tax burden so that it does not break the back of an incredibly important industry, especially for us in rural Norway. Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen clearly states that it is important that the industry is involved in the introduction of the pilot project, and that a set of regulations is drawn up that is the same throughout the country. Don’t have the details in place There is still a lot that needs to be in place before the visitor contribution is in place. Minister of Industry Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) Photo: Tale Hauso / news – When we have the scheme in place, we can get started. I am concerned that we must get the scheme completed during this year. When it comes to the question of what it should look like, there are various proposals and models for this. The Minister of Industry is concerned that there is no rush. The legal assessments must be done thoroughly and are not yet complete. – We have to make sure that it happens in a fair way, a way that is legal, and that contributes to the municipalities and areas being covered for the costs they have. – We don’t have the details in place, but what we do know is that when we have it in place, we will get started and then Lofoten is a completely natural and right place to start.
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Introduces tourist tax in Lofoten during the year – news Nordland
