A CHEAP vacation spot in Europe is set to raise tourist tax - making it more expensive for holidaymakers to visit. Porto , the second-largest city in Portugal , announced its latest crackdown on over-tourism amid fresh waves of measures across Europe. The city council said it will raise the tourist tax to €3 (£2.
50) per night for anyone visiting and staying in Porto. Porto - along with Albufeira, Madeira and Setúbal - currently charges €2 (£1.65) a night for non-residents’ overnight stays.
But Rui Moreira, mayor of the city, believes it is not enough - and authorities should do more to maintain the city as a "sustainable tourist spot". He said: "[It is] imperative to maintain Porto as a sustainable tourist destination preventing degradation and excessive occupation, which implies adjustments in tourism management policies." more travel news Moreira's council has justified the new tourist tax figure with last year's tourism expenditure in areas such as culture, heritage, the environment, energy , quality of life, town planning, housing and transport , which he claims are "essential for providing a service to tourism".
He added: "In addition to this expenditure, there are items for the Porto brand, promotion of tourism in the city, internationalisation of the Porto brand and upgrading of the tourism service." A ‘tourist tax’ – also known as a ‘transient visitor levy’ – is a fee applied to short-stay accommodation. They are often imposed in cities with stro.