Amsterdam campsites express concern over tourist tax hike

Campsites in Amsterdam have expressed concern over the municipality’s plans to increase the tourist tax. NH News reported. on tuesday.

in May, Amsterdam announced The tourist tax will increase by €1 per night and 1% of the room rate, with an additional €30 million per year. The goal is to finance some of the new investment and reduce the influx of tourists into the city.

A tourist tax is applied to the stay. A tourist staying in a hotel pays 7 percent of the total cost of the stay, plus he pays a fixed fee of 3 euros per hotel stay. Under the new proposal, this fixed fee will increase to €4 and the percentage will rise to 8%.

Critics believe the tourist tax hike will have wider implications than just hotel guests. Companies in the camping sector are particularly concerned about potential impacts. Camp visitors are now charged 7% of the room rate and an additional euro per person for her. Once the municipal changes are implemented, these charges could rise to 8% and the per person charge he could double to €2.

“We think this increase will be a burden, especially for campers in general, which is highly undesirable,” said Gerdina Kreiger of HISWA-RECRON, a consortium of water sports and leisure companies.

“I think municipalities should think more carefully about who will pay for this increase,” said Thun Weigenborg of Camping Seeburg. “I understand wanting to reduce tourism, but there are other ways to achieve that.”

Campers aren’t the only ones unhappy with the new tourist tax.Former hotel industry expressed concern Regarding the municipality’s plan to increase the tourist tax again.

The hospitality association KHN also expressed strong opposition to the plan. “Amsterdam’s tourist tax is currently the highest in Europe,” said KHN Amsterdam chairman Pim Evers in May. He is concerned that the proposed “deterrent fee” could provoke a strong reaction from city hotels, which could lead to lawsuits.

Evers disputed claims that such pricing would effectively deter tourists, which is reportedly the goal behind the municipality’s plans. Only fairly high interest rates can have this deterrent effect, he said. As such, the association said it sees the Amsterdam plan as just a strategy to increase its own income.