Popular Spanish holiday destination to impose new tourist tax in blow for Britons
A tourist fee is expected to be enforced in in Santiago de Compostela, Spain in a bid to manage overwhelming tourism
Wiki Commons images/ amaianos
A tourist fee is expected to be enforced in in Santiago de Compostela, Spain in a bid to manage overwhelming tourism.
Regional officials intend to impose the tax rules at the prominent tourist site that is best known as the endpoint of the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela.
Last year around 439,000 people visited the city's Baroque cathedral on pilgrimage.
The planned tax will be introduced on hotels in Santiago de Compostela from 2025.
Last year around 439,000 people visited the city's Baroque cathedral on pilgrimage
Wiki Commons images/ Simon Burchell
The suggested fee is set to be between €0.50 and €2.50 per person.
This tax could generate between €2.5 and €3 million per year for the city, according to Spanish chiefs.
In a statement Mayor Goretti Sanmartn announced her aim to change Santiago de Compostela from a tourist destination and theme park to a sustainable tourism destination.
She said: "We want to enjoy a rich and prosperous tourism sector, but also a comfortable and breathable city."
Speaking to Spanish press, she discusses challenges of dealing with overcrowded tourism and increasing "awareness" among the public.
She added: "It's not so much the issue of the number of people who arrive, but of the people's knowledge of the fact that the basic norms of coexistence must be respected, and respect and care for the heritage must be guaranteed.
"It's more an issue of awareness that we have to address from the very beginning."
The Mayor said there have been number of challenges including sanitation, security, and historical heritage management, which require major financial investment.
Speaking to Spanish press, the Mayor within the area discusses challenges of dealing with overcrowded tourism and increasing 'awareness' among the public
Wiki Commons images/ PMRMaeyaert
Research into the proposed earnings could top a total revenue of 3 million euros which will be used for historic centre renovation and budget overruns in cleaning services, among other expenses.
The mayor stated that this material would be reviewed within 15 days and presented before to the meeting with the Galician regional administration.
The implementation of the new tax could be as early as in 2025.