December 30, 2025
2026 Tourist Taxes Americans Should Expect Abroad
If you’re dreaming about London, Paris, or a Mediterranean cruise in 2026, there’s a new line item you’ll want to watch for on your receipts: tourist taxes. Around the world, governments are leaning on visitor levies and entry fees to fund infrastructure, preserve historic sites, and manage crowds—and several of the most headline-grabbing changes are scheduled to hit in 2026.
For American travelers, that doesn’t mean you should stay home. It just means you’ll want to understand what’s coming so those “little extras” don’t surprise you on your next trip.
Below is a look at some of the most important 2026 tourist taxes that may affect U.S. travelers, starting with London.
London & England at large: Visitor Levies on Overnight Stays
London is moving closer to joining the long list of global cities that charge a tourist tax on hotel and short-term rental stays. After years of debate, the UK government has now proposed giving English mayors the power to introduce overnight visitor levies through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. This move is designed to bolster growth specifically in non-metropolitan areas.
In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has publicly backed the idea of a “modest” tourist levy that would mirror systems already in place in cities like Paris, New York, and Tokyo. Current modeling, highlighted by Condé Nast Traveller, points to a tax set at around 5% of the nightly room cost—roughly £10–£12 (about $12–$15) per night for a typical hotel or Airbnb stay.
Key points for 2026:
- Who could pay: Anyone staying overnight in hotels, B&Bs, and short-term rentals in London and potentially other English city-regions whose mayors choose to adopt the levy.
- What it funds: Local transport, street improvements, cultural venues, and tourism infrastructure.
- Timing: The powers are being finalized now; the political expectation is that the first English city levies (very likely including London) could begin sometime in 2026, though exact start dates and rates will depend on local decisions following consultation.
For your clients who are London-bound, the practical takeaway is simple: in 2026, they should expect a small per-night charge on their accommodation bill on top of existing VAT and service fees.
Edinburgh: The UK’s First Formal Visitor Levy
If you’re heading to Scotland, Edinburgh is expected to be the UK’s first city with a fully authorized visitor levy under new Scottish legislation. The Independent notes that Edinburgh will “become the first UK city to charge visitors for staying overnight under official law in early 2026,” while London and other English destinations are still in consultation.
Travel reporting indicates that Edinburgh’s levy is set at 5% of the accommodation cost, applied to the first few nights of a stay—similar to other European cities. Condé Nast Traveller cites the Edinburgh scheme as the model for London’s proposed tax, with a 5% levy due to come into force in July and charged on the first five nights.
What that means in real terms:
- A family spending £200 per night on a central Edinburgh hotel could see about £10 per night added as a visitor levy.
- This fee is expected to show up as a separate line on the invoice, collected by the hotel or rental host and passed on to the city.
For Americans planning Scotland in 2026, this is more of a budgeting note than a reason to change plans—but it is one more reason to read the fine print when comparing hotel rates.
Venice: Day-Trip Fees on Select 2026 Dates
Venice has been in the headlines for years over tourism, and in 2026 the city will again test a day-trip fee structure aimed at cruise passengers and other short-stay visitors.
According to travel industry reporting, Venice’s “access contribution” will be charged on select days from April 18 to July 27, 2026, at €5 for advance bookings and €10 for last-minute entries. This fee is separate from any hotel “city tax” that already applies to overnight guests.
Practically:
- Who pays: Day-trippers entering Venice on designated dates without staying overnight.
- How it works: Travelers book an entry slot online (for the lower fee) or pay more closer to arrival. Enforcement will focus on popular access points and busy days.
If your clients are booking a Mediterranean cruise that stops in Venice—or a quick rail day trip from another Italian city—this is exactly the kind of fee that can cause confusion if they don’t know it exists. It’s worth advising them to check cruise documentation and local guidance for 2026 call dates.
France in 2026: ETIAS Fees & Higher Museum Prices
France is layering multiple costs onto the tourist experience in 2026, especially for non-EU visitors like Americans.
A recent roundup of international tourist taxes notes that starting in late 2026, travelers from visa-exempt countries, including the U.S., will need a €20 ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) clearance to enter France and other Schengen-area countries—an increase from earlier €7 proposals. ETIAS functions similarly to the U.S. ESTA system: one authorization, valid for multiple short-term trips over a set period.
On top of that, France will raise entry fees at major museums and monuments for non-EU visitors from January 2026. Flagship institutions like the Louvre and Château de Versailles are expected to charge roughly €25–€30 per ticket for non-EU guests.
Layered with all of this is France’s long-standing Taxe de Séjour (tourist lodging tax), which ranges from about €0.65 to €15.60 per person per night, depending on the type and category of accommodation—campsites on the low end, luxury “palace” hotels on the high end.
For U.S. travelers, the big 2026 changes in France to keep an eye on are:
- The €20 ETIAS requirement (in addition to airline taxes and fees).
- Higher ticket prices at world-famous museums.
- Existing nightly lodging taxes that can add up over a longer stay.
Spain: Barcelona, the Balearic Islands & New 2026 Surcharges
Spain is also reshaping its tourist tax landscape for 2026, with Barcelona and the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza, etc.) at the center.
According to industry reporting:
- Catalonia & Barcelona will continue to charge a regional tourist tax on overnight stays, ranging from about €0.60 to €3.50 per person per night, depending on accommodation star rating.
- In Barcelona, a new municipal surcharge will begin in 2026 at €5 per person per night, rising gradually to €8 per night by 2029. Combined with the regional tax, that could bring the total nightly levy to around €15 per person for higher-end properties by the end of the decade.
- The Balearic Islands will continue their seasonal “sustainable tourism” tax, with €1–€4 per person per night in high season (May–October), and lower rates in the off-season.
For an American family of four staying in a mid-range Barcelona hotel in 2026, that might mean an extra €12–€20 per night in combined regional and municipal surcharges—worth factoring into the budget for week-long stays.
Mexico: Cruise Passenger Taxes Rising in 2026
Not all of the tourist-tax action is in Europe. Mexico has long charged various tourism fees at the state and federal level, but one change in particular affects cruise passengers heading south in 2026.
Recent travel-industry analysis notes that Mexico’s Federal Cruise Ship Passenger Tax, set at $5 per passenger in 2025, is scheduled to rise to $10 in 2026, then continue increasing in later years. Cruise lines typically bundle this fee into total port charges rather than listing it separately, so travelers may not realize why the cost has ticked up.
Meanwhile, state-level tourism fees remain in place—for example:
- Quintana Roo’s Visitax, about 283 MXN (roughly $15) per foreign visitor, for destinations like Cancún, Tulum, and Cozumel.
- Baja California Sur’s state tourism tax of around 470 MXN (about $36) per visitor staying more than 24 hours.
For cruise-loving travelers, it’s less about a surprise bill at the pier and more about understanding why 2026 package prices may be a bit higher than in prior seasons.
Tourist taxes aren’t going away—in fact, 2026 is shaping up to be the year they become part of the “new normal” of international travel budgeting.
Now, for a few ways this firm can help as you prepare for your 2026 travel plans:
- Flag these fees during planning conversations. Don’t hesitate to mention London, Edinburgh, Venice, or other big-ticket Europe trips when you speak to our office about 2026. We’ll be happy to advise about overnight levies, ETIAS costs, and museum price hikes as part of your overall travel budget.
- Keep receipts. For business travelers, some accommodation-linked levies may be deductible when the trip is primarily for business. Save your receipts so we can take a look later.
- Check official sources at booking time. Many of these measures are still being fine-tuned. We can direct you to local government tourism pages or major travel advisories for the most current rates and dates.
The bottom line: tourist taxes won’t make or break most trips, but in 2026 they’ll be more visible than ever. A little foresight—and a clear explanation from a trusted advisor—can keep those extra fees from turning into unpleasant surprises.
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