Muscat: While the European Union (EU) recently announced its decision to grant a five-year valid multiple-entry Schengen visa to citizens of the Sultanate of Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, travelers should keep track of hidden costs, including taxes, to avoid uncomfortable experiences during the trip.
A large number of visitors from the Sultanate of Oman travel to cooler Europe to escape from peak summer temperatures in this part of the world. Over 17,500 visas were issued by the embassies of France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy in 2023, according to schengenvisainfo.com.
The new decision allows Omani citizens to visit the EU multiple times over five years with the same visa. During the visa validity period, holders of the visa enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals.
However, according to reports curated by ForwardKeys, many countries have raised their fees for tourists this year, which implies that tourists will be charged for overnight stays in some places for overnight stays as per the type of hotel rooms.
Visitors to Paris will pay up to €14.95 a night and a 5 per cent charge on room fees in Berlin.
Venice has introduced a trial for visitors to pay a €5 entry fee to the city during daytime hours, including additional costs for anyone staying in the city overnight.
ForwardKeys cited Quotezone.co.uk report which said that the new and increasing tourist fees across Europe will allow cities to fund measures to attract more holidaymakers, support the local infrastructure and businesses, and prevent damage from over-tourism.
Tourism taxes range anywhere between less than EUR1 and almost EUR15 and can be charged per person per night.
Many fees are based on the hotel rating or the type of accommodation, and charges vary from city to city depending on whether individuals are charged each night or for the whole trip.
Tourists visiting Venice for the day must pay a €5 entry fee to enter the city between 8.30 am and 4 pm. The pilot scheme is expected to come fully into force in 2025. Anyone staying overnight in Venice on holiday is charged a fee between €1 and 5 within the accommodation price.
As for Barcelona, visitors pay 3.25 euros for those staying in official accommodation while Lisbon charges two euros for every night tourists stay, but this applies to a maximum of seven nights per person.
Tourist tax in Athens varies depending on the hotel category and the time of year. The Greek government introduced the Climate Crisis Resilience Fee, which charges tourists between 0.50 euros and 10 per room per night.
The French government charges visitors a tourist tax depending on their accommodation type. The most expensive charge is €14.95 for stays in palaces. The lowest tax is 0.65 euros at one or two-star campsites per person per night. Those staying in a typical four-star hotel are charged around €8.
While tourist tax on visitors to Prague has increased from 0.82 euros to 1.97 euros (based on current rates), tourists staying in Budapest are charged an additional four percent each night, based on the room’s price. Hungary only enforces a tourist fee in the capital city.
Berlin has recently increased its city tax. Tourists must now pay five per cent of the room price, excluding VAT and service fees.
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