Tourism industry representatives in Seville want a tourist tax model quite similar to the one implemented in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands – The Seville Congress and Convention Bureau already started discussing with the authorities about this matter.
Tourism is a very important industry in Seville – The largest city and capital in Andalusia, is also one of the most visited cities in southern Spain, reaching almost 6.7 million overnight stays in the city, for an occupancy rate of 76.4% in 2019.
With these numbers, Tourist tax collection in Seville could bring an important revenue stream to the city. This tax, which would apply for travelers staying in hotels, lodgings or tourist accommodations in Seville, could bring up to 7 million euros a year for the city, according to the City Council’s own calculations (based on tourists paying 1 euro per overnight stay).
However, one main question remains – What would be the purpose of the money collected from the tourist tax? Until now, the City Council has not given concret answers on where the money would go. However, it seems quite natural to use this revenue to enhance the transformation of Seville into a more sustainable city, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Also, it would certainly help increase resources destined to the promotion of the city and the protection of its cultural heritage.
What is the tourist tax and how do other European cities implement it?
What is the tourist tax? It is a tax on stays in tourist accommodations, a payment imposed on visitors of a city or country. Usually, the amount is added to the price of the booking.
In short, the tourist tax is imposed as a surcharge to be paid by tourists. It is intended to increase the development and promotion of tourist infrastructures and activities. It is also used for the conservation of cultural heritage.
But, is tourist tax a tourism stopper? This tax has been widely accepted by the tourists. Many studies show that the tourist tax is not a condition to visit or not a destination. As it is clearly to improve experiences of people visiting the city, tourists don’t mind to chip in.
Also, tourist tax is nothing new – The most visited cities in Europe such as Paris, Berlin, Venice, Rome, Brussels, Lisbon, Barcelona or Amsterdam have been applying this tax to tourists for quite a while now.
For example, Barcelona’s government has used 5 million euros from the tourist tax to enhance the city transport infrastructure. This allowed new public transport connections helping to improve traffic congestion.
How to collect tourist tax correctly?
Not only Seville. Tourist taxes are a trend that will soon reach other Spanish cities such as Malaga, Valencia or San Sebastian, among others. – It is just a matter of time!
That is why, as a lodging provider, you should be ready to deal with it. The calculation of tourist taxes is a complex and tedious process – Many parameters that need to be taken into account vary between regions and countries.
Tourist tax collection can be made manually or automatically with a dedicated software. At Chekin, we have been thinking about a better management system to automatically fulfill tourist taxes collection correctly.
So, whatever you are managing a Hotel or Vacation rentals, Having a software that makes this part easy and automatic is key to save time and be 100% compliant. Hosts can even configure the collection of taxes during online check-in, learn here how.
