From January 1, 2018, Greece will introduce a mandatory tourist tax, which will be collected from all tourists staying in a hotel or licensed apartments, separately from the price of the tour, ATOR reports.
WHAT WILL THE TOURIST TAX RATES BE?
Despite all the negative assessments and forecasts of the decline in competitiveness of Greece as a tourist destination, there will be a tax on overnight stays in Greece. And there will be a tax throughout the year, not just during the high season, as Greek hoteliers have repeatedly asked for.
So, starting from January 1, all foreign tourists in Greece will have to pay a tourist tax for each day of stay - on the day of arrival or departure from the hotel. The amount of the tax depends on the star rating of the hotel.
HOW WILL THE TAX BE PAID?
According to tour operators, organized tourists will pay the tax separately and independently. This fee is not included in the cost of the package tour. "Tourists will pay on site at the hotel, as, for example, happens in the UAE," explained ANEX Tour.
According to the tour operator Mouzenidis Travel, the new tax will increase the price of a tour by an average of 40 euros. As the company emphasizes, “it is more likely a question of temporary inconvenience, since tourists in Greece are not used to paying the fee.”
The Biblio-Globus company draws attention to the fact that the hotel has the right to refuse accommodation if tourists have not paid the tourist tax.
"It will take time for both hoteliers and tourists to get used to this. It should also be noted that in other European countries the practice of collecting a tax from tourists has existed for a long time. For experienced travelers, the Greek tax will not be news," experts say.
THERE WILL BE EXCEPTIONS
True, there may be exceptions: a number of Greek hotels of high categories have already announced their readiness to charge the tourist tax to themselves. As explained in Mouzenidis Travel, this mainly concerns hotels of the 5* Deluxe, Luxury category.
This information is also confirmed by the company "Biblio-Globus": according to the tour operator, several Deluxe hotels will not charge guests a fee; this list is currently being clarified.
Mouzenidis Travel says that the list of hotels where the tax fee is already included in the price will be known after the New Year holidays.
Source: trn-news.ru
