If you’ve been thinking about planning a European or UK vacation lately, you may have noticed there will be new tourist taxes and travel authorizations appearing over the next few years. Europe (as elsewhere) has been seeing unprecedented growth in tourism since the pandemic. While we think experiencing other cultures in this way is phenomenal, it’s also causing some issues.
This rapid rise in tourism has resulted in over-tourism across the globe. Places like Scotland’s once pristine North Coast-500 remote driving route and cruise ports across the world are completely crammed daily. Plus there are environmental pollution issues like the stench in Venice’s waterways, noise pollution in residents’ day-to-day lives, and air pollution from airplanes, cars, and buses worldwide.
While it doesn’t look like tourism has any plans to slow down, something had to be done to help fund the upkeep of these areas and control the crowds. This is where the new tourist taxes and border control measures are coming in. Let’s talk about some of them.
Travel Authorizations:
UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Starting in 2025, you can no longer enter the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The good news: it’s super simple to apply for. The authorisation (European spelling) is attached to your passport so you don’t have to carry extra documentation and costs £10 (roughly $13). Ready to apply? Go to the gov.uk website; it takes a few minutes to complete the form and we were approved in 5 minutes by email. Your travel authorisation lasts for 2 years, and you can use it to travel to the UK as many times as you want in that period for up to 6 months at a time. Don’t forget to do this if you’re headed out on a trip with us!
Entry/Exit System for Europe
Europe has plans to roll out its Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU nationals in 2025. Each time you enter a new country in the EU, you’ll be tracked via an automated biometric scan. This system will help identify over-stayers and combat identity fraud at the borders. Sadly, this will replace passport stamps at border crossings (womp womp), though it’ll make your entry a much faster process. We have already encountered the beginning stages of this program with passport scans rather than seeing an agent to stamp your passport in airports.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
An electronic visa waiver for short-term travelers will soon be required to enter the European Union (mid-end 2025). This applies to non-EU countries that don’t currently need a visa to enter the EU, which includes the US. Like the UK’s ETA, this is a simple application process and the approval will be connected to your passport. This European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be valid for three years or until your passport expires (whichever is first). You can remain in the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The cost of an application is €7 (roughly $8).
United States’ Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
Did you know the United States also has a travel authorization? If you aren’t a US citizen or aren’t from an approved Visa Waiver Program Country, you’ll need to apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. The ESTA works similarly to the UK’s ETA and the EU’s ETIAS. The application can be filled out online for $21 (the costliest of all) for travel in the US of up to 90 days.
Taxes:
Tourist Tax
Many tourist destinations have a love-hate relationship with tourism in their areas. They love the notoriety and money being brought to the area, but it comes at a cost to their infrastructure, environment, peace, way of life, and anonymity. Many cities have already started implementing tourist taxes to help with the upkeep of their cities. You will see these taxes in the form of hotel taxes, resort taxes/fees, environmental taxes, tourist development fees, etc. that are typically attached to your accommodation bill. They can be quite creative with what they are called and what specifically the funds raised can be used for.
The reason this article came into being in the first place is because I saw a news article highlighting the new tourist tax being implemented in Edinburgh starting July 24, 2026. This tax will be another example of a tourist tax. The council for the City of Edinburgh is the first to approve this type of visitor levy in Scotland and there could be more to come. You will see this as a 5% fee added to the cost of your accommodation bill, but it will be capped at 5 nights, meaning if you stay somewhere longer than 5 nights, the 5% fee won’t be applied to additional nights at a single accommodation. They estimate this will raise up to £50,000,000 per year in transformative funds for the city.
Source: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/business/visitor-levy-edinburgh
Day & Port Tax
Some places have had to be more creative with their tourist taxes in locations where guests visit for the day but stay outside the city each night. Port taxes are an example. These taxes help cover the wear and tear on a city from cruise visitors who spend very little money in port because they’re mostly catered to onboard their ship. These taxes also apply to island-hopping vessels in places like Greece where a tourist may explore for a day, but go back to their boat for dinner and sleeping. These taxes are typically included in the fee you pay to your cruise company and they have to pay the port authority to dock in their city.
Another example is an Access Tax. In Venice, Italy an experimental program was introduced in 2024 to charge visitors entering the city €5 to be there for the day, but not stay for the night. This daily access fee has continued for the 2025 high season, beginning April 18th. Tourists entering the city but not staying for the night will be charged €5 via an application process. However, if you do not pay this fee within 4 days of your visit, the fee doubles to €10.
Source: https://cda.veneziaunica.it/en/access-fee
Responsible Travel
I know this is off-putting because who wants to do more paperwork? I sure don’t! The harsh reality is, that these taxes are needed, but travelers also need to do better. Tourism can be fantastic for an area: travel can open our minds. At the same time, it can cause irreparable damage that taxes sometimes can’t fix. While these new taxes and travel authorizations are intended to help repair and manage the damage being done, it would be great if the need wasn’t there in the first place, or at least was reduced.
Are we going to stop traveling? No. Instead, we ask you to travel responsibly. You can do things as simple as using public transport instead of grabbing an Uber or taxi – the trains and buses in Europe are phenomenal. Or you know…walk (or roll). Often it’s faster to walk than to wait for a car to navigate tiny, tricky city streets anyway.
Pay attention to your food and water consumption – only order what you know you’ll eat and carry a refillable water bottle. Food waste (and the containers it comes in) is another enormous issue across the globe.
Until someone figures out how to teleport or fly on air alone, air travel will always be problematic, so do your best to plan intelligent routes. Pack light, bring reusable items, look for flights using biofuels, fly as directly as possible, and leave yourself plenty of time between flights for any mishaps.
When you’re in those wild spaces, leave no trace. A picnic, hiking, or camping is great, but only if you can’t tell you’ve been there afterward. Leave the rocks where they are and pack out EVERYTHING you brought with you. And please, for the love, don’t camp in someone’s yard or use it as your bathroom (there are SO many stories about this in Scotland).
Most of all, do your part to help when you’re visiting and pay these fees to help support the area you are visiting. We have to start somewhere to preserve what we have so it can continue to be shared with future generations. You can do it.
See you out there!
