Tourists planning international trips may need to pay closer attention to local accommodation taxes, as several major global cities impose significant levies on hotel stays and holiday rentals.
Tourist taxes, typically charged per night or as a percentage of accommodation costs, are increasingly used by governments and city authorities to fund infrastructure, tourism promotion, and public services required to support large numbers of visitors.
Recent data on global accommodation levies shows that cities across North America and Europe dominate the list of destinations with the highest nightly tourist taxes, according to a report by Holidu.
Below are some of the cities where visitors pay the most in accommodation-related tourist taxes, ranked from the least expensive among the top 10 to the most expensive.
New York City ranks as the second-most expensive city globally for tourist taxes.
Visitors to the city are required to pay a combined accommodation tax of 14.75% along with a fixed nightly fee of $3.50 per person.
For an average holiday rental priced at about £195 per night, this results in roughly £31.46 in nightly tourist taxes.
With over 60 million visitors annually, the tax serves as a key revenue source used to maintain city infrastructure and support tourism services.
