Croatia has announced a hike on the tourist tax applicable to visitors to the country by 25 per cent.
With the exception of campsites, the new charges will apply to all accommodation.
The visitors to the popular tourist destination will be charged 10 kuna (£1.20) per person per night, up from 8 kuna (96p). The tourist tax at campsites will remain static at 8 kuna per person per night.
The new regulation is due to come into effect from 1 January 2019 and will only apply during peak season.
The tourists taxation funds collected will be used to strengthen Croatia’s position in a competitive global tourism industry.
Gari Cappelli, the country’s tourism minister and president of the Croatian tourist board, said the tax will not be absorbed by the state treasury. Instead, money will be redistributed to cities, counties, the National Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) and the Red Cross. He added that the existing tourist tax has remained fixed since 2005.
In 2017, the Croatian Tourism Board collected 464 million kuna (£55m) in tourist taxes.
The European country’s popularity with U.K. tourists has hugely increased over the last 30 years. In 1995, 1.3 million Brits visited the Balkan hotspot, surging to 15.7 million in 2017. While the filming of Game of Thrones at various locations throughout the country may have attracted a certain degree of interest, many tourists are drawn by the combination of beautiful beaches and historic ruins at prices that, for the most part, aren’t as eye watering as other popular summer holiday destinations.
Tags: Croatia, Croatian Tourism Board
