Overnight stays and arrivals by sea increase in Lisbon

Following approval in April, the council decided to submit to public consultation the changes to the General Regulation on Fees, Prices and Other Revenues (Regulation) and the reasoning behind the municipal fees for "Tourist Overnight Accommodation" and "Arrival by Sea".

Of the proposals submitted by citizens at the time, the "granting of subjective exemptions from fees to political parties, coalitions and citizens' movements" was removed from the initial wording.

According to proposal 452/2024, approved today, "tourist activity has a strong impact" on the "response levels" of municipal services, in order to "guarantee Lisbon's sustainability in economic, social and environmental terms".

The "positive effects of tourism" therefore imply the "reinforcement of urban infrastructures and the functioning of the city", in mobility, urban cleaning, public space, security", in an "effort that should not burden residents".

For Finance councillor Filipe Anacoreta Correia, who signed the proposal, "the numerous challenges at hand" justify revising the value of the Tourist Tax for Overnight Accommodation (set in 2018), as well as the Tourist Tax for Arrivals by Sea (set in 2014), "from €2 to €4 and from €1 to €2".

In order for local accommodation establishments and tourist resorts to "adapt their billing systems to the new values" of the Municipal Tourist Tax for Overnight Accommodation and the new exemptions, the "entry into force must take place from September 1".

The Municipal Tourist Tax for Arrivals by Sea, on the other hand, should come into force the day after the amendment to the Regulation is published in the Diário da República.