Faced with overtourism, Norway wants to implement a tourist tax

The Lofoten Islands, their breathtaking landscapes, their crystal clear sea and… their human excrement. In July 2023, volunteers collected no less than 40 liters, abandoned by walkers, in the natural parks of the archipelago, located north of the Arctic Circle. And this is just a small sample of the consequences of the boom in tourism in certain regions of Norway, which residents complain about: motorhomes parked haphazardly, dirt left behind by campers, ecosystems put at risk. …

To remedy this, the Minister of Commerce, Cecilie Myrseth, has just proposed the establishment of a tourist tax. Its amount may be decided by the municipalities, within the limit of 5% of the price of accommodation. According to the minister, if all municipalities had imposed it in 2023, they would have collected together 1.5 billion crowns (130 million euros) over the year. A sum that could be used “to help finance public goods used by tourists and locals”said M^me Myrseth.

Two phenomena, in particular, have contributed to Norway's new popularity: the hunt for the Northern Lights, which attracts tourists from all over the world in winter, and “coolcations” in summer, for vacationers in search of coolness. The weakness of the Norwegian crown only accelerated the movement.

Pressure on some regions

If the figures still remain modest – 5.65 million foreign visitors in 2023 – they continue to increase. Above all, the pressure is concentrated on a few regions. The Lofoten Islands, for example, where in summer around 4,000 people a day climb Reinebringen mountain, which offers breathtaking views of the fjords, the iconic glacial valleys. But also, Tromso, a municipality of 78,000 inhabitants, where huge cruise ships, such as the Queen Mary 2 (2,600 passengers), which was there on November 6.

According to the Norwegian Hotel Association, however, the government's proposed tourist tax is not going to solve anything. Above all, it risks penalizing Norwegians, the source of two thirds of reservations in hotels and other forms of accommodation. According to Kristin Krohn Devold, director of the association, the problems caused by overtourism “could have been addressed by targeted measures, such as a landing tax for cruises, stricter rules for parking motorhomes along the route, increased parking fees and paid toilets”.

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