Norway’s Government has altered the terms of its proposed inbound tourist tax in a bid to get the legislation past doubtful opposition parties and passed into law.
Norway is widely expected to introduce a tourist tax on visitors in a bid to fund ongoing sustainable tourism initiatives such as the maintenance of hiking trails and the installation of public toilet facilities.
The country’s Government has now proposed to lower the tax to 3% of the cost of an overnight stay – in hotels, Airbnbs, campsites and hostels – instead of the originally proposed 5% level.
Last summer, Norway saw an all-time record of 16.7 million overnight stays by international visitors, with numbers growing as people increasingly seek cooler summer climes.
Some opposition parties have warned such a tax – which had been expected this summer – could deter international visitors.
