The French authorities have proposed increasing the tourist tax in Ile-de-France by adding a new fee. Thus, the fees charged to guests in some hotels could immediately increase by 200%, local media reported.
The head of the council of the Ile-de-France region, Valerie Pecresse, and the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, signed an agreement on financial support for the department to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. According to one of the articles of the protocol, until 2031, funds for improving the transport system will also come from the pockets of tourists.
“Introduction from 1 January 2024 of an additional fee to the tourist tax levied in Ile-de-France, with a maximum rate of 200%,” the document says.
The region includes eight departments: Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Esonne, Haute-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, and Val-d’Oise. In the capital, the fee varies from 0.25 to 5 euros depending on the class of the accommodation facility. The authorities propose to increase the tax by a maximum of three times. Thus, in 5* hotels, guests will have to pay not 5, but 15 euros per night per person.
So far, the initiative has not been included in the country’s budget for 2024, but with a high degree of probability the Federal Government will support the decision. At the same time, local hoteliers sharply criticized the potential innovation. Representatives of the Hospitality Union and the National Group of Hotel Chains believe that this approach will negatively affect the tourist attractiveness of the region, especially on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games.
In turn, Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire noted that the size of the premium in any case will be determined by the authorities of each department separately. “I remind mayors that they are not obliged to go to the maximum of the proposed increase,” the head of the department explained.