Travel, as both a verb and a noun, has become a shorthand for an economic boon, but it’s also associated with a host of ills, both perceived and real. The travel industry’s economic impact is undeniable, accounting for 10 percent of the total global GDP, though its negative impacts have been equally pronounced, with overtourism considered a big problem at some of the world’s most popular destinations, leaving locals fed up. It seems 2026 may be the year the pendulum swings in the other direction as governments at the national and local levels push measures designed to slow or counter the negative impacts of travel, mainly through tourism fees.**
The following changes taking effect in 2026 promise to have the greatest impact on travelers’ wallets, as well as the destinations that implement them. Understanding these new tourist taxes, entry fees, and levies before booking is no longer optional—it’s essential travel planning.
The Rise of Tourism Taxes Worldwide
The fees are often presented as a dual-purpose tool, meant to tame demand for a location while raising funds to counteract the negative effects of masses crowding into certain areas, pushing local infrastructure to its limits, and warping the real estate market away from housing locals.
Academic research questions the effectiveness of such measures, though governments have limited means through which to combat this “Disneyfication”—a shorthand term for destinations that have surrendered to the travel industry to the detriment of locals. It’s reached a point where growing popularity offers diminishing returns, with many countries quickly joining the list of destinations to avoid.
Governments are looking at the results and wondering if they can push the toothpaste back into the tube, avoiding a fate suffered by destinations that have been ruined by overtourism. They, at the very least, want to combat the tell-tale signs of overtourism you should look for before booking a trip—even though tourism fees are one of them.
Tourism Taxes Spreading Across Europe
Amsterdam recently introduced the highest tourist tax in history, and other European nations and municipalities have been following suit. U.S. travelers headed to Europe in 2026 will be met with a host of new levies and fees as governments across the continent try to control—and generate revenue from—the hordes of tourists flooding their regions. The new charges will hit more popular destinations, phasing in on different schedules throughout the year.
Norway, Kyoto, and Edinburgh Join the Trend
Norway will let cities charge a 3% “visitor’s contribution,” targeting overnighters and cruise ship passengers. Ditto Kyoto, Japan, which will introduce a tiered tax on accommodations in March 2026. Depending on their hotel room price, visitors will pay up to $26 per person, per night, to stay in the popular Japanese destination.
Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, will tax overnight stays starting July 24, 2026, adding 5% to the cost of accommodations after UK mayors were given the power to introduce the levy near the end of 2025. The charge will apply to the first five nights of a stay.
The Scottish capital doesn’t immediately come to mind when someone mentions overtourism in Europe (it saw 5.41 million overnight stays in 2024), particularly if you compare the city to London, which saw 89 million overnight stays that same year. And yet, as of writing, the British capital was merely mulling the tax.
Locals Split on New Levies
Locals, however, are split on the levies. “I think there is a risk that it does affect the competitiveness of Edinburgh as a destination,” Anna Morris, who oversees a short-term rental in Edinburgh, told the BBC. “Everyone is watching what they spend now, and [the tax] is quite high when you think about it so there is a risk there.”
This tension between economic competitiveness and sustainable tourism management plays out across every city implementing new tourist taxes. Too high, and destinations risk losing visitors to cheaper alternatives. Too low, and the fees fail to meaningfully reduce overtourism pressures.
New Entrance Fees for Popular Destinations
Venice’s tourism tax model—a flat, roughly $6 (€5) per-visitor surcharge—is being adopted by other destinations. Zaans Schans, a fairytale village with old-school architecture just outside of Amsterdam, will now charge visitors a $35 fee to simply enter.
The small town of 410 people is trying to stanch its flow of tourists, which reached 2.6 million people in 2024. Much like a real-life Disneyland, the fee will give visitors access to various sites within the town, including museums and two mills, as well as a 10% discount at a local eatery.
Tenerife’s Eco Tax and Thailand’s Entry Fee
Tenerife, a sun-kissed getaway that’s part of the Canary Islands, will charge tourists an “eco tax” of up to $30, targeting travelers headed to Teide National Park. Introduced in mid-January 2026, the fees vary depending on the trail guests plan to follow and the time of their visit.
Spain’s problems with overtourism are well-documented, and the Canary Islands suffer from the same issues. Protests in 2024 brought 57,000 locals onto the streets to decry the negative side effects of living in a tourism-dependent economy, and the tax is designed to allay some of those tensions.
“It’s like a recolonization, we’re being moved out slowly and silently,” one local wrote on Reddit. “Tourism’s depleting all the natural areas, there’s no respect and no control. Our biodiversity is in extreme danger. There. Are. Too. Many. Tourists.”
It’s not just European destinations charging at the door; Thailand also plans to roll out an entry fee for arriving visitors. The Thai government’s levies start in February 2026, charging foreigners arriving by any means $10 at border checkpoints. The money will cover insurance costs and infrastructure improvements.
Rising Price Tags at Major Attractions
Venice made waves in 2024 when it introduced a fee for day trippers stopping by the famous floating city. The program targeted “eat and flee” tourists, who locals say take more than they contribute little to the overall economy.
Venice Access Fee Doubles for Last-Minute Visitors
The answer, for 2026, is an adjusted Venice Access Fee that incentivizes planning your visit ahead of time. Whereas the access fee initially charged a flat $6 (€5) fee, 2026’s variant will double the price for those who book within three days of their visit. The city will also expand the number of dates requiring a fee from its initial 29 days to 60.
Rome’s Trevi Fountain Levy
Rome is also hopping onto this trend. Ranked as one of the most “overtouristed” places in Europe, the Italian capital will introduce a roughly $2.50 levy (€2) for visitors who want to get near Rome’s Trevi Fountain, with the funds going towards the city’s coffers.
“Two euros isn’t very much,” said Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. “It will lead to less chaotic tourist flows.”
Museums and Heritage Sites Raising Prices
Meanwhile, other famed tourist magnets are also raising their prices. The Louvre, the world’s busiest museum, has raised its entrance fee for non-EU citizens to around $40 (€32) from $26 (€22), a 45% increase. The museum recently experienced an unexpected strike by workers who decried the institution’s overcrowding.
Other French destinations, such as the Palace of Versailles, are also following suit and introducing a tiered pricing system. But it’s not a European-only trend; across the pond, the US’s national parks are introducing a $100 surcharge for foreign visitors.
Eco-Minded Transportation Taxes
The U.S.’s youngest state has become a cautionary tale for the diminishing returns of a tourism-dependent economy. Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, now holds the dual distinction of being one of the world’s safest destinations and also one of the world’s most disappointing.
Hawaii’s Green Fee
The Aloha State will implement in 2026 a tourism fee passed the year before, designed to generate funds to combat the state’s climate crisis, partly caused by the more than 10 million visitors who visit every year. The so-called “Green Fee” will mostly impact cruise ship travelers, who face an 11% tax for reaching Hawaii’s shores.
“We need resources to protect our beaches, create fire breaks, fix parks and bathrooms and keep our islands safe and beautiful,” the state’s Governor Josh Green wrote on X.
Iceland’s Kilometer Road Tax
Hawaii’s not the only destination in the middle of an ocean fighting back. Iceland, though it may be one of the happiest countries in the world, is apparently pretty upset about all the cars zooming about, including tourist-filled rentals. In 2026, the government implemented the Iceland Kilometer Road Tax, which charges drivers according to the amount they use the road. The tax applies to everyone, so tourists will feel it at the car rental counter.
Travelers Increasingly Support Eco Travel
Not that travelers mind covering the theoretical environmental cost of their visit. Booking.com’s most recent Sustainable Travel Report found 84% of those surveyed considered sustainable travel important, with 93% of respondents claiming they’re trying to make their journeys more eco-friendly and have, in some way, already tried.
The changes to becoming more green are seen in smaller actions; turning off air conditioners and heating while stepping out has become a habit for two-thirds of respondents, for example, while five years earlier, more than half of those surveyed didn’t bother.
Fees at Ports: Sea and Air
Governments are mulling how to extract tax revenue from travelers in another way: meeting them at disembarkation. Airports across the UK are introducing or raising drop-off fees.
Airport Drop-Off and Departure Taxes
London City Airport, for example, introduced a drop-off fee that starts around $11.00 (£8) for the first five minutes, with each additional minute costing around $1.40 (£1), capping each stop at 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, Japan has a tax for those heading elsewhere. The departure tax has visitors pay around $6.50 as they exit the country, with the resulting funds earmarked for improving and expanding tourism infrastructure.
Cruise Ship Fees Under Debate
Hawaii’s “Green Fee” focusing on cruise ships is just the start, though a Manhattan appeals court put a temporary halt on the tax to hear a case brought by the industry and White House, which argues state tax laws don’t apply to cruisers.
Meanwhile, other popular ports are mulling per-person charges for all cruise ships that dock and disembark their passengers. French senators approved a roughly $18 (€15) fee at all French ports, echoing Hawaii’s ecological arguments. The levy faces another vote in the government’s assembly.
Locals generally seem to have a welcoming attitude towards the excises. “Used to live in a town which also saw a lot of cruise ships coming by,” wrote one Reddit user. “The issue was that they took all their meals on the ship, so for the town’s economy, it was mainly some tour guides and souvenir shops. Not much, considering you saw many large groups walking the city on a daily basis.”
What This Means for Smart Travelers in 2026
The global tourism fee landscape of 2026 represents a fundamental shift in how destinations manage visitor numbers and generate revenue. Travelers who stay informed about these changes avoid unpleasant surprises while respecting the communities they visit.
Booking ahead becomes increasingly important as destinations like Venice reward advance planning with lower fees. Budget planning should now include tourist taxes, entry fees, and eco levies as standard line items alongside flights and accommodations.
The sustainability argument behind many of these fees resonates with growing numbers of eco-conscious travelers. Paying a fair share toward environmental protection and infrastructure maintenance at visited destinations aligns with broader values most modern travelers already hold.
Research before each trip is essential. Fee structures vary dramatically between countries, cities, and even individual attractions. What applies in Venice won’t necessarily apply in Rome, and national park fees differ from city tourist taxes in both amount and structure.
These tourism fees signal a maturing relationship between the travel industry and the communities it serves. Rather than viewing them purely as additional costs, informed travelers can see them as investments in preserving the very qualities that make destinations worth visiting in the first place.
For the most current tourism tax updates, travel fee changes, and destination-specific levy information, visit The Inspiring Insight where we provide ongoing coverage of global travel regulations, overtourism solutions, and sustainable tourism trends. Stay informed with our regular analysis of new tourist fees, entry requirements, and travel cost changes that help you budget accurately and travel responsibly wherever your next adventure takes you.
