In recent days, Deputy Minister of Sport Ireneusz Raś announced that the Ministry of Sport and Tourism is working on introduction of a tourist fee. He expressed hope that at the turn of December and January the ministry would apply for the entry of these provisions into the list of works of the Council of Ministers.
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Currently, there is no such fee in Poland; it applies in some European countries. Minister Raś admitted that following the example of other countries, Frthis payment would be linked to benefits for the tourist in the commune where he will be accommodated – e.g. free use of the swimming pool, visiting museums.
The introduction of the fee is to be accompanied by the creation of a “house of tourist brands”, which could be called Poland Travel. Raś noted that such a portal “probably will not win” against Booking or other platforms of this type, but it will enable at least a few percent of “direct connections with the reception desks” of entities providing accommodation services for tourists.
Tourist fee. The industry is divided in its opinions
The president of the West Masurian Local Tourist Organization and the president of a large hotel group in Masuria, Tomasz Dowgiałło, in an interview with PAP, positively assessed the ministry's activities. — All actions aimed at ending the gray zone are worthy of attention and should be implemented as soon as possible, he said. In his opinion, in Masurian cities such as Ostróda or Iława up to 30 percent accommodation is in the gray zone. Owners of houses, rooms and apartments do not pay any local fees and do not pay rental taxes.
— From what we know from behind-the-scenes industry discussions the tourist fee would go to local tourist organizations to promote a given region. Now these organizations do not have enough funds for this, and promotion is needed. However, if we do not put an end to the gray zone, we will promote them too, added Dowgiałło.
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Masurian local government officials asked by PAP to evaluate the idea of introducing a tourist fee expressed their disapproval. — No one made any arrangements with us, we do not know the details of this solution — Piotr Jakubowski, the mayor of Mikołajki, who is also the head of the Great Masurian Lakes Association, told PAP.
– I am afraid that this fee will not impose new obligations on us, the local government, and the money from these activities will not go to us, but to other entities – added the mayor of Giżycko, Ewa Ostrowska, who also does not know the details of the project of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism.
Local government officials from Masuria told PAP that they would prefer to be given legal options to enforce existing local fees for tourists. – For now, our officials are playing detectives and are looking for offers on booking portals that have not been reported to us – said the mayor of Giżycko, adding that there are blocks of flats in the city where only a few people live, because the rest of the premises are rented occasionally.
According to the mayor of Giżycko, up to half of the accommodations in the city may be in the gray zone. Now Giżycko has no significant revenues from local tourist fees, it amounts to PLN 100-200 thousand. PLN per year. – And if we had the opportunity to actually fight against the gray zone in the rental of accommodation, we would certainly be able to gain more for the local government's coffers – admitted Ostrowska.
Mikołajki already receives PLN 1.3 million annually from local tourist fees. — This is serious and important money for us. But we could certainly have even more if there were no illegal, i.e. unreported, offers, admitted Jakubowski, whose officials also track down illegal leases.
The country's tourism industry is divided over plans to introduce a tourism fee — The Świnoujście Tourist Organization evaluates this initiative critically, and the Tatra Chamber of Commerce evaluates the idea positively.
