熱門觀光地紛紛向遊客多收費
Planning a holiday? You may need to set aside a little extra for tourist taxes.
As visitor numbers climb to record levels, more and more popular destinations are asking tourists to pay towards the cost of their visit. One of the most striking examples is Kyoto, the historic Japanese city famous for its temples and traditional streets. In March, the city sharply increased its accommodation tax. Guests in budget rooms now pay about twice as much as before, while those staying in the most luxurious hotels can be charged up to 10,000 yen per person, per night.
Local residents have long complained about crowded buses, noisy streets and visitors taking photos on private property. City officials hope the tax will help them manage crowds and protect cultural sites.
Norway is taking a similar approach. After a record 12 million foreign tourists stayed overnight in a single year, the government has allowed popular areas to charge visitors up to 3% on hotel stays and cruise trips. The money can only be spent on things that tourists use, such as public toilets, car parks, signs and walking tracks.
Supporters say these taxes are fair, because they help local communities cope with large numbers of visitors. Critics worry they will make travel more expensive for ordinary families.
計劃去度假嗎?你可能得替觀光稅多留一點預算了。
隨著遊客人數不斷創新高,越來越多熱門景點開始讓遊客分擔接待的成本。最受矚目的例子之一是京都。這座日本古城以寺廟和傳統街道聞名,今年 3 月大幅調高了住宿稅。住平價房的旅客,現在要繳的稅大約是以前的兩倍;住最高級飯店的旅客,每人每晚最多要繳 1 萬日圓。
當地居民早就抱怨公車太擠、街上太吵,還有遊客跑到私人土地上拍照。市政府希望這項稅能幫忙控制人潮、保護文化資產。
挪威也採取了類似的做法。在一年內有破紀錄的 1,200 萬名外國遊客在當地過夜之後,政府允許熱門地區對飯店住宿和郵輪旅客收取最高 3% 的費用。這筆錢只能用在遊客會用到的設施上,例如公共廁所、停車場、指標和步道。
支持者認為,這些稅很公平,因為能幫助當地社區應付大量遊客。批評者則擔心,這會讓一般家庭出遊的花費變得更高。