• Popular destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam and the Canary Islands are introducing measures to combat over tourism

• 51% of Brits would be less likely to visit somewhere if forced to pay a tourist tax

• 16% wouldn’t visit at all, rising to one in five (21%) amongst Gen Z

4th APRIL 2024: Half of British travellers could abandon popular holiday hotspots across Europe if proposed tourist taxes are implemented.

New data from Staysure*, the UK’s most trusted travel insurance provider**, has found that 51% of Brits would be less likely to visit a destination if a tourist tax was brought in, with 16% saying they wouldn’t visit the country at all.

A variable per day tourist charge, reaching up to €3.25, is currently in place in parts of Spain, including the Balearic Islands and Barcelona, while taxes were also recently introduced in Venice, as well as in Bali.

More than half of Brits (54%) also said they’d be less likely to visit a location if they were aware of locals protesting about overtourism, with 22% saying they wouldn’t visit at all.

Countries where overtourism has become an issue

Spain, the Balearics & the Canary Islands: Tenerife and Malaga have seen significant backlash from locals about tourism, while Barcelona is set to increase its tourist tax to €3.25 from April 1st.

Italy: Venice is due to trial a €5 tourist tax for day trippers from April, while Florence is considering new restrictions after the director of the Galleria dell’ Accademia said it had been “crushed by tourism.”

Netherlands: A new set of “Amsterdam Rules” has been introduced to deter stag parties from visiting the capital, following an ongoing backlash from residents and lawmakers against party going tourists in the city.

Greece: Tourists visiting Greece during the high season (March to October) will have to pay an additional “climate crisis resilience fee”, ranging from €1.50 (£1.30) to €10 (£8.60) per night.

Japan: Criticism from residents in Gion, the Geisha district of Kyoto, has led lawmakers to ban tourists from its backstreets due to overcrowding and visitors taking photos, despite the signage in a bid to deter them. Tourists will now risk a fine of 10,000 yen.

The most popular destinations cited in the survey of 2,000 respondents were Barcelona (48%), the Canary Islands (45%) and Amsterdam (41%). But with tourist taxes set to come in with the new tax year, holidaymakers choosing to visit these destinations could soon be facing additional charges, particularly in the peak summer season.

More than half surveyed (54%) felt that tourists should be considered a protected group by the government in countries where tourism contributes significantly to the economy, furthering the opposition to any additional taxes or laws. However, a huge 91% also agreed that tourists do have a responsibility for helping preserve a country’s environment and its way of life.

Notably, 87% felt that social media played a role in poor tourist behaviour, particularly from those taking photos, videos, or engaging in potentially risky behaviour around popular landmarks.

Simon McCulloch, Staysure’s Chief Commercial Officer said:

“Since the pandemic, more countries have introduced some form of tourist tax, to boost local economies through charging travellers a daily fee. The objective is to temper over-tourism, whilst generating income for preservation, building infrastructure and to help the many local businesses and livelihoods that suffered during Covid-19.

What this data highlights are the unintended consequences of introducing a tourist tax. In a cost-of-living crisis every penny does count and when saving up for that well deserved holiday, consumers may not expect to be met with additional charges. Holidaymakers will need to plan for these extra costs and build them into their overall holiday budget, along with buying their travel insurance policy, to ensure they have all things covered as soon as they book a trip.

It’s possible we’ll see a change in consumer behavior when the increasing cost of travel meets with an additional local tax burden. The large number of tourists that once flocked to these destinations simply may not feel welcome anymore or may feel that visiting a destination that is over-visited may not be the best thing for them from a sustainability, or experience perspective. While tourist taxes might feel like the only option, other solutions may need to be considered to create the right balance between the economic benefits of tourism and the cultural and environmental challenges that can be problematic for the local communities.”

Top 10 Tourist Hotspots:

1. Barcelona (48%)

2. Canary Islands (45%)

3. Amsterdam (41%)

4. Balearic Islands (37%)

5. Venice (32%)

6. Florence (24%)

7. Athens (22%)

8. Istanbul (21%)

9. Padstow (21%)

10. Seville (20%)

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information, images or interview requests please contact the Staysure press office staysure@borkowski.co.uk

*Data from a Censuswide survey conducted by Staysure Group from 14-18 March 2024 of 2,000 UK adults who have been abroad in the last 12 months, as well as travel insurance data from Staysure for the Easter period.

About Staysure

Founded in 2004, Staysure one of the Staysure Group brands who owns Staysure, Avanti, Payingtoomuch.com, ROCK and Petsure and is a trading name of TICORP Limited. Staysure is the UK’s most trusted travel insurance provider** offering a range of travel insurance policies for all ages specialising in cover for pre-existing medical conditions. Policies are tailored to the customer’s needs and medical screening is available both online at www.staysure.co.uk and over the phone.

** Based on more 5-star reviews on Trustpilot than any other insurer. Staysure’s customer ratings are at an ‘excellent’ 4.7 with over 350,000 reviews making Staysure officially the most reviewed UK travel insurance provider on Trustpilot.

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