“This fee does not serve us! We are three months away from its entry into force and there is no platform for us to apply this fee to our customers”, complained João Pinheiro, a representative of a local accommodation association, who is also one of the first signatories of a petition delivered at the Regional Legislative Assembly demanding the “immediate revocation of the tourist tax”.

The parliament of the Azores approved in April the creation of a regional tourist tax, worth one euro per overnight stay (two euros for tourists arriving in the region on cruise ships), starting on January 1 of 2023.

Raquel Franco, representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores, also heard by the deputies, considers that the tourist tax will generate a “negative qualification for the sector”.

She advocates, as an alternative, that tariffs for access to tourist attractions be applied, as in the case of Poça da Dona Beija, the islet of Vila Franca and Caldeira Velha, in São Miguel, or the ascent to Pico mountain.