The proposal was unanimously approved at the last Chamber meeting and will also be submitted to the Municipal Assembly
Before coming into force, the regulation of Peniche's municipal tourist tax, which will have a value of one euro, will be put out for public consultation for a period of 30 days, according to the proposal to which the Lusa agency had access today.
In the preamble of the proposal, the Peniche Chamber justifies the need to create a tourist tax with "significant growth in recent years" in the number of people visiting this municipality.
"The Municipality of Peniche considers that the principle of fair distribution of public costs requires that the operational costs incurred in generating utilities for tourists who visit the municipality be allocated, in the proportion in which they benefit from these tourists and not the population resident of the municipality. In this way, it becomes legitimate to demand compensation from tourists", explains the municipality.
According to the Peniche Chamber, the application of a municipal tourist tax will allow "to mitigate the social and environmental impact on the municipality's infrastructure", without "compromising the municipality's competitiveness in the context of the region".
In practical terms, Peniche's municipal tourist tax will apply to overnight stays in hotel establishments (hotels, guesthouses, apartment hotels), tourist villages, resorts, local accommodation, tourism enterprises and camping and caravan parks.
Staggering stupidity yet again. Are they really too stupid to figure out the money that the tourists bring to the area more than pays for any use of public services? Putting off tourism from staying in the area means less being spent in local shops, businesses, restaurants, tourist attractions and anything else. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
By John Smith from Lisbon on 14 Oct 2023, 17:37
I fully understand the need to tax tourism, as it is a demand on resources, with the balance being struck by the jobs and local employment it creates.
As someone who has worked with governments on this exact topic over the past 20 years, I have seen successes and absolute failures on tourism taxes imposed by destinations.
1. Overnight visitors are spending substantial money, (ie. accommodation), and frequently then add extras, via restaurants, tours, local shops, etc.
2. The “day visitor”, stopping off to see a particular attraction are usually the actual cause of congestion, over-crowded locations, ‘cheap’ “tik-tok” tourists spending no money at all, save (maybe) a burger.
The decision is not easy, but I suggest that it is better to focus the attention on day-visitor entry fees to attractions, (which are waived for overnight visitors spending good money already), than penalizing those people and turning them into cheap day-visitors who stay ‘up the road’ without extra taxes.
Venice, Barcelona and many others are not overcrowded because of overnight tourists, but because of the volumes of day-visitors paying almost nothing to spend a few a few hours in a high-value location.
By Tony Williams from Other on 14 Oct 2023, 18:38
Complete and utter stupidity once again from Peniche council.
What wear and tear on local facilities, Peniche hardly provides any apart from a smelly fish factory, a bus station that is dirty and dangerous, roads so bad they are difficult to cycle on, a closed swimming complex and a shut municple camp site!
Biting the hand that feeds you is a complete understatement.
By James Tucker from Other on 15 Oct 2023, 07:38
Portugal doing it's best to destroy tourism even further. Motorhome tourism is already destroyed, people are avoiding the Algarve, good job. The WEF sends their approval; you'll own nothing, travel nowhere and be happy.
It's so obvious....
By Fred Doe from Other on 15 Oct 2023, 07:50
I completely agree with the need for a "tourist tax"! Especially after witnessing fellow tourists leave garbage on the sidewalks, and copious amounts of uneaten food on their plates. We are generously contributing to the city's pollution while placing a strain on local infrastructure. All this is not included in the pricing of our visit.
By Tom Martella from USA on 15 Oct 2023, 13:17
I don’t mind spending one eur a day when staying in peniche. Perhaps that can help them improve their facilities. It’s okay by me.
By Alex from Lisbon on 17 Oct 2023, 17:44