Package holidaymakers will start paying Tunisia’s tourist tax from 1 November 2024, the country’s national tourist office has confirmed.
Foreign nationals, including children aged 12 or above, travelling on a package holiday basis will have to pay a per person per night tax of up to £3 a night depending on their accommodation’s star rating.
The charge starts at four Tunisian dinars (£1) per person for stays at two-star properties, eight dinars (£2) for three-star properties and 12 dinars (£3) for four or five-star properties.
The tax will be payable on stays of up to 10 nights, or the first 10 nights of longer stays, regardless of when the booking was made. The proceeds will be put towards running costs – such as products and services – stemming from tourism.
"The aim of this tax is to require foreign visitors to cover for their fair share when consuming or using subsidised products and services in Tunisia," said the Tunisian National Tourist Office.
It already applies to foreign visitors travelling on a non-package basis, and replaces Tunisia’s current hotel tax, which is currently charged at three dinars (£0.76) per person per night at four- and five-star properties, two dinars (£0.50) per person per night at three-star accommodation and one dinar (£0.25) at two-star properties on up to seven-night breaks, or the first seven nights of a long break.
The tax took effect for non-package visitors on 1 January.