Riga adopted the decision to introduce a tourism tax in 2019. It was supposed to take effect from 2021, but the plan was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the tax was only collected from January 1 this year.
Tourists have to pay one euro for each night spent in Riga, but no more than 10 euros for the entire trip. From November to the end of the year you pay 89 cents per night, but no more than 8.90 euros. The tourist tax is added to the accommodation bill and accommodation facilities must pay it to the local government once every quarter.
Ieva Lasmane, deputy director of the Riga Tourist Board, said: “You can see that guests spend an average of two nights here, sometimes more. Two or three euros is not too much.”
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This year’s goal was to raise 800,000 euros, but much more was raised: 1.3 million euros. The money has already been invested in various tourism development programs.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Latvia has a positive view of the tourism tax, as the capital’s tourism sector has been underfunded for years. Union President Andris Kaktiņš said: “We need to invest in tourism. Latvia contributes very little at a national level. We have a marketing budget of around three million. In Lithuania it is 6.5 million, in Estonia 8.5 million. If we don’t increase investments we will remain where we are.”
In the new year, Riga plans to collect even more tourism taxes to increase investment in the tourism sector.
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2023-12-28 10:14:29
the-city-of-riga-collected-more-tourist-taxes-than-expected