UK and German tour operators at the London World Travel Market were taken aback by a Turkish government announcement that a tourist tax is to be brought in next year.
Similar to the Balearics tax, the rates will be determined by hotel star classification and will be charged per person per day; under-12s will be exempt. The highest rate, for five-star accommodation, will be eighteen Turkish lira, the equivalent of 2.8 euros. The Balearic rate for a five star, between May and October, is four euros; it is one euro between November and April.
For four star, the rate will be 12 lira, 1.9 euros; three star nine lira (1.4 euros) and two star six lira (0.8 euros).
The tax is scheduled to come into effect from April 2020. The Turkish government anticipates revenue of some 2,500 million lira (400 million euros). Most accommodation in Turkey is four or five star. Of 144 million overnight stays in 2018, 80 million were in five-star hotels and 36 million in four stars.