Friday, July 4, 2025

Mexico has now joined Canada (including Ottawa, British Columbia, and Alberta), the United States (with cities like New York City, Las Vegas, and Saratoga County), as well as Indonesia, Japan, Bhutan, New Zealand, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia in making tourist taxes a new global travel norm, using them to boost tourism funding, manage infrastructure needs, and support sustainable visitor growth From flat-rate entry fees and prepaid sustainability levies to nightly hotel charges and airport departure taxes, countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia are increasingly relying on these mandatory contributions to ensure travelers directly support the destinations they enjoy—marking a clear shift in how tourism is financed worldwide.

But Mexico isn’t alone. From bustling cities in and the to island paradises in , and even heritage hubs in , travel now comes with an extra line item: a fee—sometimes big, sometimes small, but always unavoidable.

If you’re heading to or , pack your sunscreen, your passport—and proof that you’ve paid your . As of now, anyone spending more than 24 hours in is required to pay , which comes out to about .

You can’t pay it at the airport. You have to ahead of time through a system called . Once you’ve paid, you’ll get a receipt. Hold onto that. You might be asked to show it when you enter or leave the state. It’s basically your proof that you’ve contributed to keeping paradise, well… paradisiacal.

This follows a similar move in (home to Cancún and Tulum), which already requires tourists to pay a fee before arrival. Mexico is clearly leaning into the trend.

The doesn’t technically charge tourists to enter the country (at least not with a label like “tourist tax”), but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Cities and counties across the country collect —some of them pretty steep.

In , for example, you’ll pay nearly on top of your hotel rate, not to mention daily room fees. hits you with a on accommodations, and in upstate New York just bumped its hotel tax from , with some cities layering on even more.

You won’t have to prepay online or show a QR code, but you’ll definitely feel it when you check out of your hotel.

North of the border, also skips the national tax but gives local governments plenty of leeway. And they’re using it.

charges a , while in , hotel stays in places like include a combined tax that can reach . In , you’re looking at a .

Again, these aren’t flashy QR-code-at-the-border types of taxes—but they’re real, they’re mandatory, and they add up fast.

Now, if you fly across the Pacific, you’ll see countries that are a bit more upfront—and structured—about their tourism charges.

Let’s take , for instance. Tourists heading to the Indonesian hotspot are now required to pay (about ) before or during arrival. You can do it online or at the airport. They’ll hand you a digital slip to show you’ve paid. The funds go straight into environmental protection and local services. It’s one of the more transparent systems out there.

In , you’re hit with what they call the “Sayonara Tax”— (around ) automatically added to your flight ticket when you leave. You probably won’t even notice it, but the revenue supports tourism development and safety infrastructure.

And then there’s , which is in a league of its own. Tourists there must pay between , depending on nationality. That’s not a typo. The fee covers accommodation, meals, a guide, and goes toward preserving Bhutan’s culture and environment. It’s not cheap, but that’s the point. Bhutan aims for quality, not quantity.

also requires a , folded into the visa or application process. Simple, digital, and mandatory.

has had city-level taxes for years. Now, has added an entry fee for day-trippers— just to walk the canals. Rome, Milan, Florence—they all have their own hotel taxes, charged per night based on where and how you stay.

does the same. Whether you’re staying in Paris or Nice, you’re likely paying per night, depending on the class of accommodation.

has its own spin. In or the , expect a nightly fee ranging from . And in , the city takes , plus a flat nightly charge.

, a rising star in European travel, applies a in cities like . Meanwhile, is gearing up to implement a in starting in 2026.

The Caribbean isn’t staying out of the game. , for example, charges a that must be paid before arrival. Cruise passengers pay a smaller , but either way, the island wants everyone contributing to its conservation and tourism infrastructure.

Other Caribbean destinations, like and the , tuck the tax into airfare or collect it as a departure fee—usually somewhere between .

Short answer: . Long answer? Countries and cities around the world are seeing record-breaking tourist numbers, and that’s not always a good thing. Overcrowded beaches, overbooked museums, aging infrastructure—someone has to pay for the upkeep.

Tourist taxes offer a practical solution. Instead of raising taxes on locals, governments ask visitors to chip in. Whether it’s a flat fee or a nightly charge, it helps keep destinations clean, safe, and functional.

Mexico has officially joined Canada (Ottawa, British Columbia, Alberta), the USA (New York City, Las Vegas, Saratoga County), Indonesia, Japan, Bhutan, New Zealand, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, and Slovenia in adopting tourist taxes as the new global standard to fund tourism, ease infrastructure strain, and support sustainable travel. This growing trend ensures visitors contribute directly to the places they explore.

Tourist taxes used to be a niche thing. Now they’re everywhere. Whether you’re booking a hotel in Ottawa, catching a wave in Bali, strolling through Rome, or sailing into Bonaire, expect to pay a little extra. And if you’re planning a trip to Baja California Sur, don’t forget to pay that Mexican visitor tax online—or risk delays at the airport.

This is the future of travel. The suitcase might still be yours, but the price of the journey? That now includes a little thank-you to the places you’re lucky enough to explore.

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»