To the delight of the Algarve’s tourism industry, the city of Oporto has become the second location in Portugal to levy a 'tourist tax' on its visitors.Lisbon already charges €1-a-night on tourists and Oporto’s council has decided to follow suit, but with a €2 charge "per guest aged over 13 years, per night."
There is a cut-off point at seven days, with the council claiming the tax will, "mitigate the impact of the tourist footprint on the city.”
The regulations, which apply also to the online booking site, Airbnb, are aimed at the city’s hotels and guest houses which will act a municipal tax collectors, much to their annoyance, by adding the charges to guests’ bills – unless visitors are staying in the city for medical treatment or are registered as 60% disabled, or more.
According to the council's rules, the new tax will not apply to reservations made before March 1st ut coem into effect immediately.
The Mayor of Oporto, Rui Moreira, said last December that the tax will serve to "mitigate the impact of the tourist footprint" and should raise €6 million a year that will be spent on housing, cleanliness and mobility, all for locals.
The mayor said that it was the same tax regime as used in Lisbon, the difference being that in Oporto, the tax is not intended for "investment in tourism," as it is in the capital.
As for charges for those over 13-years-old, the mayor said this is the age at which many hotels start to charge full adult rates.
The Algarve so far has resisted applying a tourist tax, with some mayors all for it and other suspecting that it will put holidaymakers off, in a highly sensitive market.
