Wroclaw councillors are going to vote a visitor's tax on Thursday 26 November. The tax will be payable by tourists. However, some visitors will be exempt from it.
"The tax attracts a lot derision, some even call it a resort tax", says Wroclaw Treasurer Marcin Urban. "It must be emphasised that we are not a resort and we are not collecting a resort tax. We are going to collect a visitor's tax because, just like Kraków or Katowice, we have a lot to offer to our tourists. What I have in mind are cultural attractions and landmarks such as the Centennial Hall, Ostrów Tumski, the National Forum of Music or the Afrykarium. To put it briefly, Wroclaw is meeting all the requirements to collect a visitor's tax that are laid out in the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of 18 December 2007".
Visitor's tax in Wroclaw: how much?
A visitor's tax is payable by physical persons who stay in Wroclaw longer than 24 hours for tourist, relaxation or training reasons. The tax will be payable in the amount of 2.18 PLN per day by hotel and apartment guests, and it will be included in the bill. Those who choose youth and backpackers' hostels will be exempt from the tax.
"Since the hotel night in Wroclaw ranges from 300 to 400 PLN, I expect that hotels will be able to calculate it in such a way that it won't be particularly painful to visitors", says Marcin Urban. He also adds: "Our idea to put a visitor's tax in place is linked with two big international events: the ECC 2016 and the World Games 2017, which are both expected to attract a lot of visitors".
It is estimated that the tax will bring 1,200 thousand PLN to the city's budget annually. Marcin Urban emphasises that the money will allocated for tourist promotion exclusively. The projects to improve camping facilities and to introduce a tourist card are the .most immediate on the agenda.
