Tourist tax on Rügen: Water sports enthusiasts demand an end to double payments!

Tourist tax on Rügen: Water sports enthusiasts demand an end to double payments!

The tourist tax is a hotly debated topic, especially among water sports enthusiasts on the Baltic Sea. In Sellin, a popular port on Rügen, boats that often only dock for one night have to pay tourist tax for two days. This regulation is met with great displeasure, as NDR reports. An example of the mooring fees are 20.70 euros for boats up to nine meters, plus 20.24 euros tourist tax for a family of four. This places a considerable burden on short-term guests, who have to pay their way not only on the day of arrival but also on the day of departure.

But it's not just in Sellin that there are problems because of the tourist tax. Guests also pay quite a bit in the Gager harbor: the tourist tax here is 3.37 euros per person per day. Local reporters report that the high fees have a noticeable impact on the number of guest calls at the port of Gager, as noted by harbor master Rieke Boomgaarden. “Guests simply ask themselves whether this is really necessary,” is her comment on the situation. At this point, a lot depends on the economy, because the around 20,000 euros that the tourist tax brings in Sellin annually plays an important role in the financing of infrastructure and events.

Necessity and criticism of the regulation

Tourism chief Franziska Gustävel underlines the need for these fees to support local communities in need of an economic boost after the challenges of the Covid pandemic. “The income is crucial for further developments and events in our region,” she points out.

However, the regulations on tourist tax are different. In Putbus, for example, guests only have to pay for the overnight stay, but not for arrival and departure days. In this way, the double payment that causes great dissatisfaction in Sellin and Gager could be avoided. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is planning its own tourism law, which will enable uniform regulations for the coast in order to harmonize the different taxes in the Baltic Sea resorts such as Sellin, Baabe and Mönchgut.

Tourism taxes – a global trend

But the problem is not limited to Germany. From 2025, tourist taxes will become the norm in many countries to support tourism infrastructure. According to a report by Visitworld, cities such as Barcelona and Vienna have already started asking tourists to pay in order to better manage the high pressure of visitors.

Overall, it shows that tourism taxes not only serve as a source of income, but are also used to promote sustainable tourism and to finance infrastructure projects. Example tax rates are 12.5% ​​on the room rate in Amsterdam or up to 7.50 euros per night in Barcelona. Also in Germany, like in Berlin, the tourist tax is around 7.5%. They have therefore become an integral part of the tourism industry.

Whether these regulations always make sense remains an exciting discussion. What is certain is that the pressure on the tourism industry will continue to increase and a fair and transparent regulation is desired for everyone involved.

The development remains to be followed closely, and it remains to be hoped that other locations can learn from the experiences in Sellin and Gager in order to find a way of dealing with the tourist tax that is acceptable to all parties.