Brits heading to France have been warned as the French tourist tax is set to increase again.
Starting January 1, 2025, tourists visiting France will see an increase in tax impacting many French national venues, including museums and even a stay at Disneyland Paris.
The increase in tourist taxes will affect non-EU visitors, who will have higher administration costs, as seen among major tourist attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum.
Prices to visit these popular tourist spots will be increased by as much as £5.
Home to the famous Mona Lisa painting, tickets to visit the Louvre currently set tourists back by £19 but with the new price hike it could rise to an eye-watering £26.
The increased prices will be evident throughout much of the country’s tourist attractions with the aim of generating additional funds to help with the maintenance of these historical sites cited as the reason.
This price hike was originally proposed by Rachida Dati, France’s Culture Minister, who expressed a desire for outside visitors to “pay more”.
Speaking to Le Figaro, a French news outlet, Dati said: “I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to finance the renovation of the national heritage.”
These proposed price increases will not affect French nationals who want to visit these national venues, with the financial burden of maintenance falling on non-EU visitors.
The increased prices will be evident throughout much of the country’s tourist attractions, with the aim of generating additional funds to help with the maintenance of these historical sites cited as the reason for the hike in prices.
This price hike was originally proposed by Rachida Dati, France’s Culture Minister, who expressed a desire for outside visitors to “pay more”.
Speaking to Le Figaro, a French news outlet, Dati said: “I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to finance the renovation of the national heritage.”
These proposed price increases will not affect French nationals who want to visit these national venues, with the financial burden of maintenance falling on non-EU visitors.
In recent years, many European tourism hotspots have introduced a surcharge for tourists, with Venice now charging tourists £4.17 (€5) to enter the popular city on certain days.
Recently, Krakow’s city council voted to support a resolution to implement a tourist tax charge for non-EU members visiting the popular Polish city.
“With just €5 per visitor, we would collect €75million per year,” Dati noted.
“In this way, Notre Dame de Paris would save all the churches in Paris and France.”
Others are less enthusiastic about Alexandre Gady, a heritage historian and member of the National Commission for Architecture and Heritage, who strongly criticises these proposed increased taxes.
Speaking to France Info, he said: “We are using a bookkeeping approach that is devastating us in this country.”