Amsterdam introduced a new tourist tax that will be an addition to the current tax.

From 1 January 2020 the City of Amsterdam will ask for a larger contribution of visitors staying the night in hotels or camping sites. On top of the current 7% tourist tax a fixed amount will be charged. For hotel rooms: €3 per person per night. For camping sites: €1 per person per night.

Tourist tax for holiday rentals, bed & breakfasts and short-stay accommodation will be 10% of the turnover, excluding VAT and tourist tax, so, the visitors who choose accommodation using Airbnb’s apartment rental service will pay 10% extra for every night in Amsterdam.

According to the city officials, the new measures is designed to ‘control the flow of visitors’.

Companies operating sea and river cruises now pay a tourist tax of €8 per passenger. They register and pay the so-called ‘day tripper tax’ (dagtoeristenbelasting).

This tax is for cruise passengers who do not live in Amsterdam and are stopping over. It is not for passengers who are starting or ending a cruise in Amsterdam.

According to the author of the initiative, instead of promoting the travel destination, it is currently more important to deal with its ‘management’.

Currently, Amsterdam receives more than 17 million tourists a year.