Hotel taxes and fees

For US travelers

The world, shaded by what gets added at checkout.

Two hotel rooms can be advertised at the same price and settle hundreds of dollars apart, because what a government adds on top of a quoted rate ranges from nothing to roughly a third. This map colours countries by that gap alone: the tax and mandatory levies that appear after you have already compared prices.

It is a deliberately narrow question, and the narrowness is the point. A map of total tax burden would shade half of Europe dark and tell you nothing useful, because that tax is already inside the price you were quoted. What costs you a surprise is the part that is not.

The map

What government adds on top of the room rate.

Darker means more is added at checkout, on top of the price you were quoted. It does not mean more tax: in most of Europe and in Japan the tax is already inside the rate you compared, which is why some heavily taxed countries sit at the light end. Hotel charges like resort fees are never in the colour, because no government sets them.

True Trip CostsGovernment charges only. Checked Aug 2026.

Equal-area projection, so a country's size on the map matches its size on the ground rather than being inflated by its latitude. Countries too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot where we hold a figure.

Added on top of the quoted rate, by government

Under 5%
5 to 10%
10 to 15%
15 to 22%
22% and up

Varies too much within the country for one figure. No single national figure would be right anywhere in it, so we give representative cities instead of one colour.
Plus a flat charge this colour cannot show. A per-person or per-night fee has no percentage until you fix a room rate, so it is stated in its own units rather than converted into a shade.
Checked: there is a charge, figure not yet on this scale. We checked, there is a government charge, and its shape is on the country's row. Getting it onto this percentage scale needs one more step, so it sits off the scale rather than being guessed onto it.
Checked: no tourist or hotel tax. We looked and found no tourist or hotel tax at all. This is a finding, not a gap. It is off the colour scale rather than at the light end of it, because VAT and property charges are separate questions and this map does not claim to have answered them here yet.
Not yet checked. Almost all of the grey is countries outside the 59 we cover, not countries we looked at and gave up on. Either way it never means there is nothing to pay: grey is the absence of our work, not the absence of a tax.

How to read this without being misled

Light is not the same as cheap

The colour answers one question: how much lands on the bill that you did not see when you compared prices. Where VAT is embedded in the sticker price, as it is across most of Europe and in Japan, almost nothing is added at checkout even though the tax is heavy. Those countries are light here. The tax is real, it is just already in the number you were quoted.

Only government charges are coloured

A resort fee or a service charge is set by the property, and there is no national figure for either. They can easily outweigh the tax, so where we hold a range it is stated on the country's row and labelled as the property's. It never touches the colour, because colouring a country by a charge one hotel invented would be a guess wearing a number's clothes.

Grey means unchecked, not untaxed

We colour a country when a person has read the rate off the authority that sets it and dated it. Everything else stays grey. That leaves most of the world grey today, which is the honest state of the work rather than a design choice, and it is better than a full map with one wrong number on it.

Announced is not collected

Several countries have levies that were announced, reported widely and then deferred or dropped. A charge that is not being collected is excluded from the colour and named on the country's row, and a rise with a future date is listed as scheduled rather than folded into today's figure.

Every country we hold something for

We hold a checked, dated position on all 59 countries we cover, plus 2 beyond them: 29 with no tourist or hotel tax at all, 27 where there is a charge and its shape is known, 2 pinned to a percentage on the scale above, and 3 where the rate varies too much inside the country for one national number to be honest. This list is the map's real content, with the government charges separated from the property's own, and each one dated.

Maldives

17% added on top of the quoted rate, plus 12 USD per person, per night

The 17% TGST is what the percentage fill shows. The green tax is a flat charge per person per night, so it has no percentage until you fix a room rate, which is why this country is stippled rather than pushed into a darker band.

Resort rates here are routinely quoted before tax, so the whole stack arrives at checkout rather than in the price you compared.

Government charges

Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST), 17%. Added at checkout. Charged on tourism-sector goods and services including accommodation. Rose from 16% on 1 July 2025 under the seventh amendment to the Goods and Services Tax Act. In force from July 1, 2025. Maldives Inland Revenue Authority: GST rates by sector, checked August 19, 2026.
Green tax, 12 US dollars per person per night. Added at checkout. A flat environmental charge on each guest for each day of stay. Doubled from 6 dollars on 1 January 2025. Resorts, resort hotels and tourist vessels charge 12; a hotel or guesthouse on an inhabited island with 50 or fewer registered rooms charges 6. Children under two are exempt. In force from January 1, 2025. Maldives Inland Revenue Authority: green tax rates and exemptions, checked August 19, 2026.

Set by the property, not the government

Service charge, 10%. Set by the property, not the government. Widely applied but not a tax, and not refundable.

Checked August 19, 2026

NetherlandsAmsterdam basisPart in the price, part added

10.3% added on top of the quoted rate

The city tax is 12.5% of the room rate excluding VAT, so against the VAT-inclusive price you were quoted it lands at about 10.3%. The 21% VAT is already inside that quoted price.

Amsterdam only. Most other Dutch municipalities charge a flat few euros per person per night instead of a percentage, so a national figure would describe nowhere.

The VAT is embedded in the rate you are quoted, the city tax is added at checkout. Two government charges, and you only ever see one of them coming.

Total government take on the room, whether you see it added or not: about 33.5%. This is not what colours the map, and it is not a simple sum of the parts below, because one charge is levied on the other's base.

Government charges

National VAT on accommodation, 21%. Inside the rate you are quoted. Rose from 9% on 1 January 2026. Embedded in consumer-quoted rates, so it does not appear as a line at checkout. In force from January 1, 2026. Dutch government: VAT on overnight accommodation goes up, checked July 4, 2026.
Amsterdam tourist tax, 12.5% of the room rate excluding VAT. Added at checkout. The highest city rate in Europe, and it keeps applying however long you stay. City of Amsterdam: tourist tax, checked July 4, 2026.

Checked August 11, 2026

CanadaVaries within the country

Federal GST or a combined HST applies, then provinces and cities add their own accommodation levies at rates they set, so the total depends on the province and often on the city inside it.

Not yet coloured. Needs the federal rate plus representative provincial and city levies, each sourced.

Checked August 17, 2026

SwitzerlandVaries within the country

A low national VAT on accommodation, then a per-person visitor tax set by each commune, which commonly includes a local transport card. The levy and what it buys both change from one valley to the next.

Not yet coloured. Needs the accommodation VAT rate plus representative commune visitor taxes, each sourced, and a note on where the fee includes transport.

Checked August 17, 2026

United StatesVaries within the country

There is no national lodging tax. State, county and city occupancy taxes stack in combinations set locally, so the total swings widely between one city and the next and a single national figure would be wrong everywhere.

Set by the property, not the government

Resort fee. Set by the property, not the government, and often excluded from the headline rate. No national figure exists.

Not yet coloured. Needs representative city figures, each from that city or state revenue authority. Nothing is shown until they are sourced, because a half-filled city list reads as a complete one.

Checked August 17, 2026

ArubaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Aruba adds a 12.5% tourist levy to your room rate each night, plus a small environmental levy of about 3 US dollars per room per night. On top of those government charges, most hotels also add their own service charge and a resort fee, which are not taxes. There is no cap on nights.

Why this is not shaded on the scale: the rate is written out on this country's own page, and moving it onto a single comparable percentage needs a person to check the base it applies to and whether it is already inside the quoted rate. Until that is done it would be a guess, so it stays off the scale.

Checked July 22, 2026

AustriaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

Austria has no single national tourist tax. Most towns add a small local overnight tax to your hotel bill. Vienna charges a percentage of the room rather than a flat fee; most alpine and regional towns charge a flat per-person, per-night amount. These are rough figures; the exact amount varies by state, town and season. VAT is separate and already included in prices.

Checked July 25, 2026

BahrainFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Bahrain adds more to a hotel bill than any Gulf state except Saudi Arabia, and it comes in four parts: 10% VAT, a 5% government levy, a 10% service charge set by the property, and a flat tourist tax of BD 3 per room per night introduced in May 2024. That works out around 25% in percentages plus roughly 8 dollars a night. Quoted room rates frequently exclude all of it, so ask whether the rate is all-in. Bahrain's 2025-26 budget flagged the possibility of a further VAT rise with no rate or timeline confirmed, so this is worth re-checking before a future trip.

Checked August 2, 2026

CroatiaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

Croatia charges a sojourn tax (boravisna pristojba) per person per night, collected by your accommodation. It varies by season and location, higher on the coast in summer. Children under 12 are exempt, and those aged 12 to 18 pay half.

Checked July 31, 2026

CzechiaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

A small local accommodation fee, capped by national law at 50 Kč per person, per night, and added to your hotel bill. The rate is set by each municipality up to that cap. Children under 18 are exempt, and it applies only to the first 60 consecutive nights.

Checked July 4, 2026

EgyptFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Egypt has no European-style per-night tourist tax. Instead, hotels and tourist restaurants usually add a service charge (about 12%) plus taxes (VAT around 14%, sometimes a small local levy) to the listed price, the so-called plus plus. This estimates roughly a 26% add-on. Some booking-site room rates already include it, and budget or local places often add nothing.

Checked July 10, 2026

FranceFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

A nightly tourist tax (taxe de sejour) charged per person and collected by your accommodation. The amount depends on the hotel rating, so this is a mid-range estimate. Children under 18 are exempt.

Checked July 4, 2026

GermanyFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Germany has no national tourist tax. Individual cities charge their own bed tax (Bettensteuer) on leisure stays, usually added to your bill at checkout. Business travelers are generally exempt with an employer letter. Rates and structure vary by city, so this is a city-specific estimate, not a flat national rate.

Checked July 4, 2026

GreeceFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a flat amount per night

Greece's Climate Resilience Fee, charged per room or rental unit per night (not per person), based on the official star rating of your hotel or rental. These are the April to October peak rates that apply for most US trips; November to March rates run about a quarter of these. There is no cap on nights and no exemption for children.

Checked July 4, 2026

HungaryFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Budapest charges a tourist tax (idegenforgalmi ado) of 4% of the room price per night, added at your accommodation. Most other Hungarian towns charge a small flat fee per person per night instead. Under-18s are exempt.

Checked July 31, 2026

IcelandFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a flat amount per night

Iceland charges a flat lodging tax (gistinattaskattur) per room or unit, per night, added on top of the price rather than as a percentage. It rose to 800 ISK a hotel room at the start of 2025 and is often left out of the online price, so it can turn up at check-in or checkout. Campsites and motorhome pitches are 400 ISK a night, and cruise ships on domestic voyages are 400 ISK per passenger, per night. VAT is separate and already included in prices.

Checked July 7, 2026

IndonesiaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Most Indonesian hotels quote rates "nett" (tax and service already included) or "++" (tax and service added at checkout). This estimate assumes a "++" rate: a 10% service charge, then a 10% regional hotel tax (PB1) calculated on top of that, for about 21% combined. Budget guesthouses and homestays often charge less or nothing extra.

Checked July 10, 2026

ItalyFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

An accommodation tax (tassa di soggiorno) charged per person, per night, and usually collected at checkout, often in cash. The exact amount depends on the hotel's official star rating, so treat this as a mid-range estimate. Young children are usually exempt, and some cities stop charging after about a week.

Checked July 4, 2026

JamaicaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Jamaica has no per-person nightly bed tax. On a hotel room you pay the lower tourism rate of General Consumption Tax, still 10% today and legislated to rise to 15% from 1 April 2027, plus a small flat Guest Accommodation Room Tax set by the size of the property: US$1 per room per night up to 50 rooms, US$2 from 51 to 100, and US$4 at 101 rooms and above. This models the 10%, so add the flat room tax on top. Restaurant and shop bills carry the standard 15% GCT. Some resorts add a resort fee of their own. Arrival and departure taxes are almost always built into your airfare.

Checked August 17, 2026

JapanAlready in the priceFigure not yet on the scale

Consumption tax is inside the price you are quoted, so very little appears on top at checkout. The tax is real and it is already in the rate you compared, which is not the same thing as a cheap tax.

A government charge applies here, levied as a banded amount per person, per night, rising with the room rate

Not in the figure above

Kyoto accommodation tax tiers rise. A scheduled increase to the banded per-person nightly rate. Not folded into any figure before its date. Scheduled for March 1, 2026, so it is not counted yet.

Not yet coloured. Needs the consumption tax treatment plus the city accommodation taxes that do land on top, each sourced, before this can colour.

Checked August 17, 2026

MexicoFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Two things stack on a Mexican room rate everywhere: the federal IVA at 16%, and a state lodging tax (the ISH) that each state sets for itself, typically 2 to 5%. On top of those, a few areas add visitor fees you pay separately, in Quintana Roo, Baja California Sur and Puerto Vallarta. This models the IVA, plus the state ISH where we can source the rate, plus any one-time visitor fee, on the assumption that your quoted rate excludes them, which is what a US-facing booking site usually shows. If your rate said impuestos incluidos, the percentages are already inside it and only the one-time fee is extra. Flat per-night environmental charges are not modelled, so add those from the notes below. At an all-inclusive the IVA and ISH are normally already inside the package price.

Checked August 17, 2026

MoroccoFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

Morocco charges a per-person, per-night tourist tax (the taxe de sejour, sometimes split into a tourism promotion tax and a city tax) on hotels and riads. The amount depends on the property class and the city, and it is usually not in the room rate, so you pay it in cash at check-in or checkout. Children under 12 are exempt. VAT on accommodation is a reduced 10% and already included in prices.

Checked July 12, 2026

NorwayFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Norway's visitor's contribution started in summer 2026 but is opt-in: a municipality has to apply to charge it, so it appears in some towns and not others. Where it applies it is up to 3% of the accommodation price, added to hotels, guesthouses and short-term rentals (and cruise calls). Lofoten is an approved early area; Bergen, Tromso and other busy spots are expected to follow. Campsites, tents and personal campervans are exempt. Pick the option that matches where you are staying, and check your booking, since the list of towns is changing through 2026.

Checked July 7, 2026

OmanFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Oman has no European-style per-night tourist tax. Instead the charges stack on the bill as percentages: 5% VAT, a 4% tourism tax under the Tourism Law, and a 5% municipality charge on hotel stays, plus a discretionary service charge at many properties. Roughly 14% before any service charge, and quoted room rates often exclude it, so ask whether the rate is all-in.

Checked August 2, 2026

PolandFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

Poland has no nationwide tourist or city tax. Krakow, Warsaw and most cities charge nothing. Only designated resort and health-resort towns levy a small local climate fee (oplata miejscowa) or spa fee (oplata uzdrowiskowa), commonly a few zloty per person per night, set by each municipality and added to your bill.

Checked July 31, 2026

PortugalFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

A per-person, per-night town tax, collected by your hotel (often in cash) and usually not in the room rate. Capped at 7 nights, children under 13 exempt. Most of Portugal charges nothing.

Checked July 4, 2026

Saudi ArabiaFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Saudi Arabia's VAT is 15%, the highest in the Gulf, and it applies to hotel stays as it does to almost everything else. Beside it sits a municipality levy on each occupied room, 5% at four-star and above and 2.5% at three-star and below, so pick the band that matches your hotel. Together they come to about 20% or about 17.5%. Many properties add a service charge on top, which is the hotel's own and not a tax, and we have not modelled it because the rate is not standard. There is no separate per-night tourist tax of the kind Bahrain levies. Unlike almost all of the region, the VAT on goods you take home is reclaimable, which is covered in the taxes section below.

Checked August 2, 2026

SpainFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a set amount per person, per night

A per-person, per-night tax that only some regions charge, collected by your accommodation. Children under 16 are usually exempt, and the amount can rise with hotel category.

Checked July 4, 2026

The BahamasFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

There is no per-person nightly bed tax in the Bahamas. The accommodation charges are percentages of the room instead: a 10% VAT everywhere, and around Nassau, Paradise Island and Cable Beach one or more area levies on top of it, which with the VAT charged on them takes the government side to roughly 21%. Pick the band that matches where you are staying. This does not include the resort fee or, at some resorts, a mandatory gratuity charged per person per night, both set by the property and neither modelled here. Stays of 45 continuous days or more are VAT exempt. Your air departure tax of about 15 dollars is almost always built into your airfare, and as a visitor you can claim the 10% VAT back on shopping through the Global Blue scheme.

Checked July 4, 2026

TurkeyFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a percentage of the room rate

Turkey's national accommodation tax is temporarily reduced to 1% of the room price through 31 December 2026 (down from the standard 2%, which returns in 2027), added to your bill and the same everywhere rather than varying by city. This estimates the current 1% add-on. VAT (KDV) on accommodation is separate and usually shown within the room rate.

Checked July 10, 2026

United Arab EmiratesFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a flat amount per night

In Dubai the nightly "Tourism Dirham" is a flat amount per room per night set by your hotel's official star rating, capped at 30 consecutive nights. Abu Dhabi instead adds a 4% tourism fee on the room bill. These are separate from the 5% VAT, roughly 7% municipality fee and roughly 10% service charge that hotels fold into the rate (covered below). Pick the closest match.

Checked August 2, 2026

United KingdomFigure not yet on the scale

A government charge applies here, levied as a flat amount per night

Most of the UK, including London, has no hotel or tourist tax today, though more cities are looking at one.

Checked July 25, 2026

ArgentinaNo tourist or hotel tax

Argentina has no general nightly tourist tax. Better still, foreign tourists are refunded the 21% VAT (IVA) on accommodation when they pay with a foreign card and show their passport, though hotels sometimes apply it anyway, so check the bill. A few destinations such as Bariloche add a small local eco or tourist fee at hotels.

What this row does not tell you: whether VAT is added on top of a quoted rate here, or already inside it. That is the question this map colours, and it has not been checked for this country yet. The finding above is that there is no separate tourist or hotel tax to add.

Checked July 3, 2026

AustraliaNo tourist or hotel tax

Australia has no nightly tourist or bed tax that you pay at checkout. A 10% GST is already built into the price you see. As a visitor you can reclaim that GST on goods you take home through the Tourist Refund Scheme (see below). Separately, entry needs an ETA, a flat AUD 20 service fee paid once in the official app, not a nightly charge.

Checked July 12, 2026

BrazilNo tourist or hotel tax

Brazil has no standard nightly tourist tax and no tourist VAT-refund scheme. A few beach destinations have recently added visitor fees, and a 2026 tax reform nudged service prices up a little (see below).

Checked July 2, 2026

CambodiaNo tourist or hotel tax

Cambodia has no separate nightly tourist tax to pay at checkout. A 10% VAT and a small 2% accommodation tax apply to hotel rooms and are usually built into the price, though some hotels and restaurants show them, with a service charge, as extras on top. There is no visitor VAT refund, so the tax is simply part of what you pay.

Checked July 16, 2026

ChinaNo tourist or hotel tax

China has no per-person nightly tourist tax to add at the desk. Prices include a 13% VAT on most goods, usually baked in, and upscale hotels and restaurants may add a service charge of about 10 to 15%. If you shop, you can claim a departure VAT refund of roughly 8 to 11% on eligible goods at participating stores, covered below.

Checked July 20, 2026

ColombiaNo tourist or hotel tax

Colombia has no nightly tourist tax. Better still, foreign tourists are exempt from the 19% IVA (VAT) on hotel rooms, though many hotels apply it by mistake, so show your passport at check-in and check the bill before you pay.

Checked July 2, 2026

Costa RicaNo tourist or hotel tax

Costa Rica has no separate per-night tourist or city tax. Prices already include 13% VAT, and restaurant bills add a 10% service charge by law (see below), so there is nothing extra to estimate per night here.

Checked July 4, 2026

DenmarkNo tourist or hotel tax

Denmark has no national tourist tax or nightly accommodation tax, so there is normally nothing extra on your hotel bill. Two caveats: Copenhagen has been weighing a city overnight levy (still moving through government and not yet in force at last check), and a few Copenhagen hotels add a small voluntary sustainability surcharge of a couple of euros a night. Prices already include VAT (moms), a flat 25% on almost everything with essentially no reduced rate. As a non-EU visitor you can reclaim the VAT on goods you take home (see below).

Checked July 7, 2026

Dominican RepublicNo tourist or hotel tax

The Dominican Republic has no separate per-night tourist or city tax. What affects your bill is the 18% ITBIS tax and a 10% service charge added to most restaurant, bar and hotel bills (see below), so there is nothing extra to estimate per night here.

Checked July 4, 2026

EcuadorNo tourist or hotel tax

Ecuador has no per-person nightly tourist tax to add at the desk. What you will see instead: a 15% VAT (IVA) baked into most prices, raised from 12% in April 2024, and a service charge of about 10% that many sit-down restaurants add to the bill. There is no general tourist VAT refund to count on. Separately, the Galapagos Islands charge a 200 dollar park entrance fee per foreign adult, cash on arrival, plus a 20 dollar transit control card, both covered below.

Checked July 20, 2026

El SalvadorNo tourist or hotel tax

El Salvador has no per-person nightly tourist tax to settle at the desk, and since 2025 no arrival fee either. What you will see instead is <b>IVA of 13%</b>, which is normally already included in displayed prices, and at sit-down restaurants a <b>service charge of about 10%</b> printed on the bill as propina. Lodging can come to more than 13% in total, because hotels also carry a separate tourism levy, so treat the total shown on your reservation as the figure to check rather than assuming the room rate plus 13%. There is no general tourist VAT refund scheme to count on. Departure tax is included in your airline ticket, so there is nothing to pay at the airport on the way out.

Checked July 31, 2026

GeorgiaNo tourist or hotel tax

Georgia has no per-person nightly tourist tax to add at the desk. Prices carry an 18% VAT, usually baked into what you see, and there is no broad tourist VAT refund to count on. The one thing to plan for in 2026 is not a tax but an entry rule: every tourist must now hold travel insurance for the whole stay (at least 30,000 GEL of medical and accident cover), covered below.

Checked July 20, 2026

Hong KongNo tourist or hotel tax

Hong Kong is a free port with no GST or VAT, so there is no sales tax on the price you see and nothing to reclaim at the airport. The one lodging cost to know is a 3% Hotel Accommodation Tax on the room charge, reinstated on 1 January 2025 (see below); it is usually already in your hotel bill.

Checked July 15, 2026

IndiaNo tourist or hotel tax

India has no separate per-night tourist or city tax. What affects your bill is GST (India's value-added tax) on hotels and restaurants, plus an optional restaurant "service charge" that is not a tax (see below), so there is nothing extra to estimate per night here.

Checked July 10, 2026

IrelandNo tourist or hotel tax

Ireland has no nightly tourist tax, unusually for Europe (Dublin and Galway are pushing for the power to add one, but nothing is in force yet). Restaurant and shop prices already include VAT, and from July 2026 the VAT on restaurant meals dropped from 13.5% to 9%. As a non-EU visitor, you can reclaim the VAT on goods you buy to take home (see below).

Checked July 3, 2026

KuwaitNo tourist or hotel tax

Kuwait has no VAT, no sales tax and no tourist or hotel tax. PwC records that Kuwait also levies no excise tax, no property tax and no transfer taxes. It is one of only two Gulf states, with Qatar, never to have adopted VAT: the GCC framework agreement was signed in 2017 but in Kuwait it remains under discussion in parliament with the draft law still in preparation. So the price you are quoted is the price you pay, and there is no refund scheme to bother with because there is nothing to reclaim. The one variable is a service charge at hotels and restaurants, which is the property's own and is not universal. Worth re-checking before a future trip, since the framework has been pending for years rather than abandoned.

Checked August 2, 2026

LaosNo tourist or hotel tax

Laos has no separate nightly tourist tax to pay at checkout. A 10% VAT applies to most goods and services and is usually built into the price you see, though bigger hotels and restaurants may add it, with a service charge, on top of a net rate. There is no visitor VAT refund, so the tax is simply part of what you pay.

Checked July 16, 2026

NamibiaNo tourist or hotel tax

Namibia has no separate nightly tourist tax at checkout, though a small per-person bed levy is sometimes added by accommodations. A 15% VAT applies to most goods and services and is usually built into the price. There is a VAT refund scheme for goods taken out of the country, administered at departure points, but it is limited and paperwork-heavy, so most short-stay visitors do not bother.

Checked July 22, 2026

New ZealandNo tourist or hotel tax

New Zealand has no nightly tourist or bed tax that you pay at checkout. A 15% GST is already built into the price you see, and unlike Australia you cannot claim it back on ordinary shopping (see below). The one tourism charge to plan for is the NZD 100 International Visitor Levy, a one-off paid with your NZeTA before you travel, not a nightly charge.

Checked July 25, 2026

PhilippinesNo tourist or hotel tax

The Philippines has no nightly tourist tax to hand over at the hotel. Prices include a 12% VAT, and restaurants and hotels often add a 10% service charge to the bill. What you will meet instead are small local fees at some island destinations, for example an environmental fee on Boracay and terminal or eco fees in El Nido and Coron, usually a few hundred pesos, paid in cash. Separately, from late 2024 foreign tourists can reclaim the 12% VAT on qualifying shopping, covered below.

Checked July 25, 2026

QatarNo tourist or hotel tax

Qatar has no VAT, no sales tax and no tourist or hotel tax. It is one of only two Gulf states that never introduced VAT, so the price you are quoted is the price you pay. The one variable is a service charge at hotels and restaurants, which is set by the property rather than the government, is not a tax, and is not universal: some Doha hotels state that no service charge applies to their quoted rates at all. A draft electronic invoicing law was approved in May 2026, which regionally has tended to precede a VAT launch, so this is worth re-checking before a future trip. No implementation date has been published.

Checked August 2, 2026

SingaporeNo tourist or hotel tax

Singapore has no nightly tourist or bed tax. A 9% GST is already built into the price you see, and restaurants and hotels commonly add a 10% service charge on top, shown as the ++ after a price. As a visitor you can claim the GST back on goods you buy to take home (see below).

Checked July 12, 2026

South AfricaNo tourist or hotel tax

South Africa has no nightly tourist or bed tax at checkout. A 15% VAT is already included in the price you see, and, unlike Morocco or the EU, you can claim that VAT back on goods you take home (see below). A small tourism levy (about 1%, the TOMSA levy) is included in many accommodation bills but is not something you pay separately.

Checked July 25, 2026

South KoreaNo tourist or hotel tax

South Korea has no nightly tourist or bed tax. A 10% VAT is already built into the price you see on tags and menus. As a visitor you can reclaim that VAT on much of your shopping through the tourist tax refund, often instantly at the register (see below).

Checked July 12, 2026

Sri LankaNo tourist or hotel tax

Sri Lanka has no separate nightly tourist tax to pay at checkout. An 18% VAT applies to most goods and services, and hotels and nicer restaurants often add a 10% service charge plus other levies, so a bill can run noticeably above the menu price. There is no broad tourist VAT refund scheme, so the tax is simply part of what you pay.

Checked July 22, 2026

SwedenNo tourist or hotel tax

Sweden has no general tourist tax or nightly accommodation tax, so there is nothing extra to add to your hotel bill. Prices already include VAT (moms): 25% on most things, a reduced 12% on hotels and restaurant meals, and 6% on transport, books and culture. From 1 April 2026 the VAT on most groceries dropped to 6% (a temporary cut to the end of 2027). As a non-EU visitor you can reclaim the VAT on goods you take home (see below).

Checked July 7, 2026

TaiwanNo tourist or hotel tax

Taiwan has no nightly tourist or bed tax. A 5% business tax (VAT) is already built into the price you see on tags and menus. As a visitor you can reclaim that VAT on eligible goods through the tourist tax refund, on the spot at some stores or at the airport before you leave (see below).

Checked July 15, 2026

ThailandNo tourist or hotel tax

Thailand has no hotel or tourist tax today. A proposed arrival fee for air travelers, raised in August 2026 from 300 baht to 450 baht (about 14 dollars), has been discussed for years and is still not being collected. If it starts, it would be added to your airfare, not your hotel bill.

Checked July 25, 2026

VietnamNo tourist or hotel tax

Vietnam has no separate tourist or hotel tax. Your room rate already includes VAT, so the price you are quoted is the price you pay.

Checked July 10, 2026

Changes with a date on them

Rates that have moved or are due to move, so a figure on this page can be checked against the day it changed. Only changes we have an official source for appear here.

Netherlands, Accommodation VAT rose to 21%. In force from January 1, 2026. Dutch government: VAT on overnight accommodation goes up.

Where the detail lives

Each shaded country above links to its own write-up, which is where the rates are kept current, sourced against the authority that sets them and dated. For the four kinds of charge that land on a hotel bill and how to tell them apart, start with the hotel taxes and fees guide. For per-night bed taxes and entry charges specifically, see tourist taxes and fees, and for what a day costs once the room is paid for, cost of a day, compared.

Government rates are read off the tax authority, ministry or city that sets them and dated on the country's row. Service charges and resort fees are set by each property, so where we give a figure it is a range from recent reports rather than a published rate, and it never affects the shading. A country left unshaded has not been checked yet, which is not the same as a country with nothing to pay. More on how we work is on our methodology page.

Compare a whole region

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