Copenhagen could be set to introduce a tourist tax

Copenhagen could introduce a tourist tax Image: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The city of Copenhagen has taken a step further towards introducing a tourist tax for overnight stays in the Danish capital. Used around the world for many years, tourist taxes are becoming an invaluable tool for many destinations tackling overtourism head-on.

The idea of playing on people's wallets to put a brake on visitor numbers is nothing new, and is even becoming one of the key measures employed by various popular destinations to better preserve the environment, if not the tranquility of local residents. For example, there's the new entry ticket required to visit Venice if you're not staying the night, and, elsewhere in Italy, similar measures are being considered for Lake Como. Meanwhile, Bali introduced an entry tax in the spring, costing 150,000 rupiah per person, or around €9.

In Europe, another way of regulating tourist populations is with a tourist tax on overnight stays. In Amsterdam, where this rate is the highest in Europe, the tax has risen from 7% to 12.5% of the cost of a night's stay in a hotel. Spain has opted for similar measures, notably in Barcelona, where the tourist tax rose to €3.25 per night on April 1, in line with a timetable set by the Catalan municipality for successive increases from 2021 onwards.

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Further north in Europe, Copenhagen is now thinking about taking the plunge. While the subject has been on the table for several years, the idea now has the support of the majority of politicians on the Danish capital's city council. The aim is to introduce a tourist tax for overnight stays "akin to those already established in various other European countries," reports the Copenhagen Post. The measure has faced opposition from certain political camps, with some fearing that it would hinder the country's popularity as a tourist destination, especially given that visiting Denmark is already expensive. Denmark's capital also has to compete with Oslo in Norway and Stockholm in Sweden in terms of Northern European destinations.

But this isn't Denmark's first taxation initiative targeting travelers, while also playing a part in the fight against climate change. Starting in 2025, Denmark will introduce a new tax on air transport to fund the sector's green transition. More precisely, according to the Danish Ministry of Finance, each air passenger will be subject to a surcharge depending on the distance of the flight, i.e. 50 Danish kroner for a short-haul flight (approx. €6.70), 310 Danish kroner for a medium-haul flight (approx. €41) and 410 Danish kroner for a long-haul flight (approx. €55).