There are at least 26 municipalities across the country that charge a fee for overnight stays in tourist accommodation, but the number will soon increase, with Alentejo being the only region where the measure is neither applied nor approved.
According to a count carried out by the Lusa agency (taking into account the rates in force this month), of the 278 municipalities on the continent, 24 already apply the tourist tax, several will begin to apply it this year, such as Loulé (November), Setúbal and Caminha (September), and others plan to start next year.
In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, two of the 11 municipalities currently charge a fee of two euros per night, for a maximum of seven nights (14 euros). In the municipality of Santa Cruz the measure came into force in 2016, initially at one euro per night, and in the municipality of Santana it has been applied since June this year.
In the rest of Madeiran municipalities, with the exception of Porto Moniz, which is still considering a possible charge, the tourist tax will start to be applied between September and October and, in the rest of cases, it is planned for January 2025.
Funchal, the region’s main municipality, will have the measure in force on October 1.
In the Azores, none of the 19 municipalities currently apply any tax, but the municipalities of the largest island, São Miguel, unanimously decided to move forward from 1 January 2025, and some have already approved their regulations.
In the case of Ponta Delgada, the municipality “is developing the administrative procedure to present to the next Municipal Assembly the regulation of the tourist tax in the municipality, which will be identical to all the municipalities on the island of São Miguel,” according to a source from the office of the presidency.
Some municipalities in the Azores had planned to move forward with the tourist tax in June, but backed off their position, seeking clarification, due to the controversy generated by the approval in the Regional Legislative Assembly of a diploma providing for a regional tourist tax.
In the country, each municipality sets its own rate and defines application standards, but there are common criteria for all, such as exemption from payment for children. (in some cases they start paying from the age of 12, in others later) and people with a disability equal to or greater than 60%, in addition to citizens who stay for medical treatments.
There are also municipalities that exclude the tourist tax, at least for one night, for those on a religious pilgrimage to Fátima or Santiago de Compostela, as is the case of Porto (and, from September, Caminha).
The municipality of Viana do Castelo also exempts, in addition to all other exceptions, those who, for reasons of conflict and displaced from their countries of origin, reside temporarily in Portugal.
The maximum rate charged until this month in Portugal is 2.5 euros per night, which is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, where the contribution is called City Tax, and a tax of 1.25 euros is also charged for overnight stays motivated by professional, academic, social, sporting, cultural or other activities that are not predominantly tourist-related.
Lisbon, which initially charged one euro per night (2016), increased the amount to two euros in January 2019 and will remain at four euros in September this year. It will then be the municipality with the highest contribution per night.
The minimum rate you can pay at local hotels or accommodation units, including campsites, caravan parks and motorhome service areas, is 50 cents.
The price also varies depending on the number of nights to be paid, ranging from three to seven, except in Vila do Conde, where it reaches 14 nights.
In the Algarve, a tourist destination par excellence for nationals and foreigners, only six of the 16 municipalities currently charge for overnight stays. Loulé will start charging two euros in November.
In the municipalities of Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão, Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António, guests pay two euros in high season (April to October) and one euro in low season (November to March).
Faro already charges 1.5 euros per night all year round, while the first municipality in the Algarve to implement a tourist tax, Vila Real de Santo António, charges one euro, except in campsites, caravan areas and motorhome areas, where the tax does not apply. It is 50 cents.
The Alentejo region — which in June of this year, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), represented some 347,000 overnight stays in tourist accommodation with 10 or more beds — There is no municipality that covers or has already approved the tourist tax.
The list of collectors in the country also includes, until this month, Amarante, Póvoa de Varzim, Maia, Braga, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, Peniche, Óbidos, Loures, Oeiras, Cascais, Mafra and Sintra.
The municipality of Terras de Bouro, which includes the village of Gêres, is currently preparing the regulations for the Municipal Tourist Tax, which will be applied in the near future.
Matosinhos and Baião are among the territories where visitors will start paying fees in 2025.
Source: Observadora
