Holiday hotspot to introduce second tourist tax to stop overcrowding

A city in Portugal are clamping down on the effects of too much holidaymakers by introducing tourist tax. The world heritage site will implement the changes next year

Brits who are planning to travel to a popular European city will be hit with tourist tax from as early as next year.

Portugal is renowned for its tropical sun and beautiful views, and the city of Evora is no exception. The tourist spot boasts stunning whitewashed buildings and is home to the largest medieval cathedral in Europe. Evora, which dates back to the Roman era, features an array of shops and is known for its medieval walls. But to manage the amount of tourists who enter the city, a tax will be introduced in 2025. The mayor of Évora, Carlos Pinto de Sá, announced the plans for his charming UNESCO World Heritage site. Under the changes, visitors will pay extra to stay overnight in the charming city.

Draft regulation approvals from the municipal assembly are expected by December, with the tax set to be implemented by the beginning of 2025. Evora has long been planning a tourist tax with plans initially beginning in 2019, but the plans were halted due to the pandemic. The tax’s goal is to minimise the effects of over-tourism by using its earnings to improve heritage restoration, waste management, and tourism promotion. In 2019 the proposed tourist tax in Evora was initially suggested to be €1 per night.

However, the final amount is expected to be higher when the tax is implemented, the city has not yet announced the official rate for the fee. There are plans to exempt tourists who stay for more than two or three days from paying the tax, encouraging them to spend more time in the city, according to SchengenNews.

Some specific groups will also be exempt from paying the tax. Athletes affiliated with sports clubs, hospital patients and members of non-profit organisations (who have to stay overnight) will not need to pay this fee. Alongside Evora, many other destinations in Portugal’s Algarve region are imposing tourist taxes for overnight stays. Albufeira is set to launch a tourist tax in May 2025. Portimão, Olhao, Faro and Vila Real de Santo Antonio also plan to start tourist fees.

Venice is contemplating whether to introduce a €10 tourist tax after the conclusion of a summer trial which saw day-trippers paying an entrance fee during peak days of €5 (£4.20) and was introduced to manage tourist influx during high-traffic periods. And now authorities have introduced further measures including a ban on tourist groups of more than 25 people, as well as on loudspeakers – with those breaking the rules fined between €25 and €500 (£21-£422).