The case in summary Tromsø municipality will introduce a tourist tax. Some tourists are willing to pay such a tax. Others fear that it could make Norway too expensive and deter potential visitors. The hotel industry warns against a tourist tax that is only imposed on hotel guests, and points out that the hotels already pay significant taxes and fees to the municipality. Tromsø municipality has applied to be a pilot in the government’s project related to “visitor contributions”. The project is intended to spare and help the most vulnerable tourist magnets. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – We are clearly willing to pay. The food and service are very good here, says Man Chao. He is on holiday in Tromsø with his wife. Zehua Tao agrees with his compatriots. – There are many cities in Europe that charge extra tax from tourists. I don’t think it would be a big deal for the tourists in Tromsø. It’s perfectly fine to pay. Tao now lives in Finland, where he works as a tourist guide. This winter he has been in Tromsø five to six times because of work. Tao says he thinks the tourist tax won’t be a big deal for tourists. He refers to Italy, where they also have a tourist tax in several cities. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news The tourist guide believes that the tourist tax, or “visitor contribution” as some call it, is a good idea. – There are many people who live here. If too many tourists come here, it will bother those who live here. – Norway is too expensive for tourist tax Several of the tourists news has met say the amount is important for whether they think it is okay to have a tourist tax. Penny Schulz lives in Australia. She fears that a possible tourist tax could cause people to think twice before booking a trip. – Norway is quite expensive, but it is worth the trip. An additional tax on top of what we have paid would probably be a barrier for many tourists. Despite the awards, Penny Schulz is full of praise. – A lovely place. Beautiful country. It is a gateway to many adventures. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news This is what Lucia Tardao, who lives in Portugal, agrees with. – I would perhaps think twice before coming if I had another tax to pay. She says that if the tourist tax was around one euro per night, that would be fine. – Hotel rooms are already quite expensive. If they had asked for more money I would have felt a bit robbed. – It depends on how much it will cost and where we will pay that tax, says Lucia. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Should tourists pay tourist tax when they visit Norway? Yes No Uncertain Show result – The hotels already pay tax The number of direct routes to and from Tromsø to abroad is increasing. According to Avinor, 20 direct departures were planned this winter. Swipe to see what the tourists think about tourist tax: Rui Tardao from Portugal says that they have tourist tax in their home country, but that the prices there are much lower than in Norway. He therefore believes that it is easier to pay extra tax in Portugal than in Norway. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Qiaosheng Cheng from China says that if the tourist tax is more than ten percent of the cost of the hotel, that it will be too expensive. He hopes that the tourist tax can bring some financial benefits to the tourists, such as free bus tickets. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Vivi Gao from China says that it depends on how much the tourist tax may cost. She hopes that the money from the tourist tax will go towards making the city better and cleaner. And the roads less slippery, in winter. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Junxin Chen from China says that the tourist tax means that he has to pay an extra euro for the hotel, so that’s fine. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news Anja from Australia believes it is important to protect the environment and that tourists act in a sustainable way. – If the tourist tax supports it, I am positive. Photo: Mathias Sommerseth Kjellmo / news – I think it is normal to have a tourist tax. You have to pay tourist tax almost all over the world if you are a tourist, says Michael from Italy. Photo: MATHIAS SOMMERSETH KJELLMO / news Many of the tourists who visit Tromsø stay in hotels. The hotel industry warns against a tourist tax that is only imposed on hotel guests. – The most important thing is that there will be a fair arrangement of the visitor contribution that is both broad-based and that ensures that you get the players who are currently free passengers in the industry. That’s what hotel director at Clarion hotel The Edge, Ida Kristine Jakobsen, says. – We expect that there will be clear plans for what these contributions will be used for before we start collecting a tax, says Jakobsen Photo: Dan Henrik Klausen / news When asked if there is a need for “visitor contributions” or tourist tax, Jakobsen says that one must first find out what it will be used for and how it will be collected. – The hotels already pay a lot of taxes and fees to Tromsø municipality, over 200 million just last year. Have applied to be a pilot in the project Gunnar Wilhelmsen (Ap), mayor of Tromsø municipality, says that they have applied to be a pilot in the government’s project related to “visitor contributions”. Without a tourist tax, money spent on facilitating tourism must be prioritized in the ordinary municipal budgets, he says. Mayor of Tromsø municipality, Gunnar Wilhelmsen, is one of those who wants a tourist tax or visitor contribution. Photo: Pål Hansen / news – The emergency committee has more need for social assistance, as opposed to building toilets in the districts and winter parking, and so on. – It is always our dilemma, that we have to opt out of something, when we have to choose something in.
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Tromsø wants a tourist tax – tourists think Norway is expensive enough – news Troms and Finnmark
