Terras de Bouro, in the Braga district, begins this Friday to apply municipal tourist fee, thus increasing to at least 42 the number of Portuguese municipalities to be charged for overnight, a measure in perspective in five more municipalities.
At the beginning of the year, of the 308 Portuguese municipalities, close to 40 were already applying tourist fee. In recent months, Northeast (Azores), Lobos Chamber and Porto Santo (Madeira) and Matosinhos (Porto District) have joined the group, where Terras de Bouro will now enter.
In the county, the rate of a euro per sleep/night is held until October 31st and in the coming years will be charged between May 1st and October 31st.
In the diploma of the regulation, it is read that “the tourist activity of Terras de Bouro has been denoting a very significant development over the years, affirming the municipality as one of the main tourist destinations” that are part of Peneda-Gerês National Park ().
The Alentejo region remains the only one in the country without any municipality that covers the fee, although Évora has already approved it in Chamber and Municipal Assembly. The publication in the Diário da Republic of the Regulation -which foresees to charge 1.5 euros per guest and night in the tourist units of the county, with some exceptions -which happened last week, starting the collection in the second month after this publication, ie August.
In Madeira, nine of the 11 municipalities currently charge two euros a night, at a maximum of seven nights: Funchal, Santa Cruz, Santana, Ponta do Sol, Machico, Ribeira Brava, Calheta, Lobos Chamber and Porto Santo.
In São Vicente, the preparation of the application is underway, but should no longer happen before the current municipal mandate is finished this year. In Porto Moniz, the current president of the municipality, Emanuel Câmara, to comply with the third and last term, chose not to apply the measure.
Last January, Funchal, along with what has happened in Lisbon since April 2024, began the charge of visitors that arrive by sea, with the fixed unit value of two euros per passenger landed from a cruise ship in transit.
In the Azores, only visitors from the six municipalities of the Island of São Miguel, from the 19th of the archipelago, have to pay a fee of two euros a day by the sleep, up to a maximum of three nights. At issue are Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, Lagoa, Vila Franca do Campo, Village and Northeast.
Almost all municipalities of the largest Azorean island began to apply the tourist rate in January, except for the Northeast, which only started in May due to delays in the process.
The president of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Alexandre Gaudêncio, justified the measure with the pressure that the tourist sector has recorded and the consequent charges, but the decision deserved the disagreement of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) and business associations. In February, the Legislative Assembly sucked a PAN proposal to create a regional tourist fee.
On the continent, each municipality sets its fee and defines the application rules, but there are common criteria for all, such as exemption for children (start paying from 12 years in some cases, in other later) and people with disability equal to or greater than 60%, in addition to citizens hosted for medical treatments.
There are also municipalities that exclude the tourist rate, at least for one night, for those who are in religious pilgrimage to Fatima or Santiago de Compostela, such as Porto and Caminha.
Like Caminha, Viana do Castelo exempts, in addition to all other exceptions, those who, for reasons of conflict and displaced from their home countries, temporarily reside in Portugal.
The maximum fee charged until this month in Portugal is four euros per night, which happens in Lisbon since last September.
In the capital, payment began to be applied in January 2016 on national tourists (including Lisbon) and foreign tourists in local hotels and housing, “up to a maximum of seven nights per guest and stay”, being exempt those under 13.
Initially the value was one euro a night, but in January 2019 increased to two euros and in September last year it doubled.
In the north, in Vila Nova de Gaia, the so -called city fee is 2.5 euros and is also charged a tax of 1.25 euros for overnight, academic, social, sports, cultural or other tourist activities.
In the neighboring municipality of Porto, the value of the rate is now from three euros per sleep for people over 13 and up to a maximum of seven nights in a row. The rate to pilgrims installed on hostels or displaced for reasons of conflict in countries of origin is not applied here either.
The Porto rate came into force in March 2018, with a value of two euros, to respond to the growth of the activity, but in December 2024 it was updated to three euros, with the justification of increased expense associated with the sector.
In Braga, the House began this year to charge a fee throughout the year and not just in the so -called high season, maintaining the value at 1.5 euros.
In the district of Viseu, none of the 24 municipalities have a tourist rate in force. About two years ago, the president of the capital of district, Fernando Ruas, considered that he was justified to apply – which could lead to raise between 200 and 300 thousand euros a year – but there was no advance.
“Those who come have every right to decide. If I am here in the next term I will think of the tourist fee,” he told Lusa, considering that it makes no sense to make the decision a few months of the municipalities.
The contribution also varies in number of nights to be paid, and can go from three to seven, except in Vila do Conde, where it goes until 14 nights.
Already to the south, in the Algarve, only seven of 16 municipalities currently charge for overnight.
Faro, the capital of the district, began to charge two euros per night between March and October and a euro between November and February, while Vila Real de Santo António, the first municipality Algarve with the measure, charges a euro, except in campshops, caravan parks and autocaravan service areas, where the value is 50 cents. There are also rates in Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão, Olhão and Loulé.
The list of current collectors in the country also includes Póvoa de Varzim, Amarante, Coimbra, Cascais, Figueira da Foz, Loures, Mafra, Maia, Óbidos, Oeiras, Peniche, Setúbal and Sintra.
In Almada the collection was in public consultation in the revision of the regulation and table of fees of the municipality -which included the creation of a rate of two euros in the case of accommodation establishments (at a maximum of five nights) and 1.5 euros in the case of campshop and caravanism -but the lead of the municipal budget, in which the measure was inserted, prevented its application.
In Nazaré the municipal rate is in the process of approval, and it is estimated to be implemented this year.
The entry into force in the municipality of Baião, which was scheduled for this year, is suspended indefinitely, a decision that the municipality justifies with the impact of September 2024 forest fires.
“There were operators [turísticos] They began to complain about reserve cancellations after the fires and was decided, after conversations with them, to suspend the measure to prevent a negative impact on the economy, ”he pointed to the Portuguese source.
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