LISBON: Lisbon city council raised €3.3 million Euros from the tourism tax on overnight stays in the Portuguese capital in the first quarter of the year, and a total of €16.7 million since the tax was introduced in 2016.
In a written reply to Lusa, the city council said that of this year’s income, €1.1 million “were handed over by [online platform] Airbnb as part of the protocol signed by this platform and the local authority.”
Since its introduction on 1 January 2016, “total payments made as part of the municipal tourism tax [on overnight stays] has totalled €16.7 million, €2.8 million of which from Airbnb,” the city council said.
Approved in 2014, the Municipal Tourism Tax began to be charged last year on overnight stays by Portuguese tourists (including Lisbon residents) and foreigners in hotel or local lodging units, at a cost of €1 per night, up to a maximum of €7.
Children under 13 are exempt from the tax, as is anyone who stays in the city overnight for medical treatment or to accompany someone undergoing treatment.
The amount raised will be channelled into the Lisbon Tourism Development Fund, created to finance investments in the city.
