As headlines mount over surging tourist crowds across Europe and locals pushing back, demanding relief, another European nation has decided it will implement on tax on tourists in an effort to offset overtourism.
Lawmakers in Norway recently approved a new tourist tax, giving local governments the power to charge a 3% levy on overnight stays and cruise ship visitors starting in the summer of 2026.
The tax will apply to travelers staying in hotels, hostels, campsites, and short-term rentals, as well as passengers arriving by cruise ship.
The move comes after the nation welcomed nearly 6 million cruise ship passengers in 2024 and foreign overnight guest visits hit a new high at 12.4 million – a 12 percent increase over the previous year.
“It is not the case that we have year‑round tourism throughout the country, but in some places, there are parts of the year that are particularly demanding, and the expenses that the residents have to pay for are particularly high,” Norway’s Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth told NRK, the nation’s state-owned broadcaster in April 2025.
It is important to note the new tax is voluntary for municipalities to adopt, and Myrseth said she didn’t expect it will be used by all municipalities, just those in high-pressure areas.
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She also says this gives municipalities seasonal flexibility to manage peak visitor traffic and invest in services needed to accommodate the increasing flow, such as hiking trails, parking facilities, and toilets.
In fact, the tax collected may only be used on tourism-related improvements with a goal of easing tension between locals and visitors in high-traffic regions, such as the Lofoten Islands and Geirangerfjord.
Norway Tackles Overtourism
The inclusion of cruise visitors to Norway’s new tourism tax marks a change from earlier versions of the proposal that excluded day-trippers.
However, it follows mounting criticism from local leaders and environmental advocates who say cruise ships contribute significantly to overcrowding and infrastructure stress.
Norway’s busiest cruise ports include Ålesund, which welcomed over 650,000 passengers in 2024, and Bergen, which saw nearly 600,000. Bergen currently enforces a daily limit of four ships and 8,000 passengers to manage the flow of visitors.
A 3% tax on cruise passengers could generate millions of euros in revenue for local governments.
Norway’s new law follows similar moves across Europe. In Venice, a €5 day-tripper entry fee took effect in April 2024 for visitors during peak days, doubling to €10 if not booked in advance.
In the Balearic Islands of Spain, including Mallorca, the government initiated an “eco-tax” that ranged from €1 to €4 per night depending on the season and type of lodging, with cruise guests included at €2. That tax was increased in 2025 to €6 per day for cruise guests on its popular islands.
But, that’s still less than guests pay in Barcelona, where cruise passengers are charged nearly €8 per visit.
Meanwhile, Amsterdam introduced a 12.5% hotel tax on room rates in 2024 and raised its cruise port fee to €14 for each passenger’s stopover in the city’s port.
The biggest cost for cruise passenger visits can be found in Iceland, which also upped its cruise passenger fee in January 2025 to about 2,500 ISK, which is just over $18 US dollars per person today.
As Norway grapples with its growing popularity, spurred by cruisers looking for more off-the-beaten-path destinations, it is also leading the charge to enforce net-zero rules for cruise ships by 2032.
Its newest regulations will go into effect in January 2026 targeting vessels under 10,000 gross tons.
