Rome lost government funding because of austerity measures and the town authorities decided to tax tourists. Starting January 1st, accommodation as well as museums and galleries in Rome will be more expensive.
Tourists who have arrived to Rome this year might have been surprised by a new tourist tax that has been introduced on the 1st January 2011. The town authorities try to supplement the money for the maintenance of monuments this way. As Ct24.cz reports, the reasons for the re-introduction of the tax that was lifted twenty years ago are budget cuts that the Italian government made and because of which Rome lost important funds. The tax is collected in hotels, museums and galleries as well. It is not very high however it is another expense that may discourage some tourists.
For a night in a three-star or lower category hotel, a person has to pay extra 2 Euros. A stay in a four or five-star hotel cost a guest extra 3 Euros a night. Hotel managers are rather unhappy about the new tax since they are worried their customers will be put off by it. Moreover, the tax cannot be added to the bill. Every guest has to pay it in cash as they check out. It means that after a guest paid their stay at the hotel online or by credit card, they still have to keep in mind to have enough cash on them to be able to pay the extra charge.
Some thirty million people visit Rome every year. With such a high number of visitors a lot of money could be gained through the tax. The idea is to obtain about eighty million Euros and use them to repair some monuments and improve the city’s infrastructure.