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Which Swiss region has the highest tourist taxes?

If you are vacationing in Switzerland this year, be aware that tourist taxes vary widely depending on your destination. This is what you should know.

Published: 20 July 2021 12:39 CEST
Which Swiss region has the highest tourist taxes?
Montreux levies one of the highest tourist taxes in Switzerland. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Even on a holiday you won’t be able to escape taxes.

Tourist taxes — fees levied on guests by hotels and other accommodation providers — are used to finance infrastructure and facilities in the community.

Paying the tourist tax can also entitle you to use some facilities in the regions, such as public transport and visiting cultural sites. 

They are added to the room invoice and have to be paid at the end of the stay.

But depending on where you go and how long you stay at your destination, these charges can take a big chunk out of your vacation budget.

This is the finding of a new study by Swiss consumer site Comparis.ch, which compared taxes in 80 municipalities most frequented by tourists.

In Switzerland, the average amount of this tax for an adult is 3.75 francs per night. But this figure masks great regional disparities, Comparis reported.

As the chart below shows, taxes range from the lowest, 90 cents per night in Zug, to the most expensive —  a hefty 7-franc nightly fee in the Valais communities of Saas-Fe and Saas- Almagel, as well as in Montreux, Vaud.

On the other hand Zurich, which is Switzerland’s most expensive city and among the priciest in the world, is below the national average, at 2.50 francs a night.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why are major Swiss cities so expensive?

Interestingly, there are significant disparities even among communes in the same canton.

For instance, while in Saas-Fe and Saas- Almagel tourist tax is 7 francs nightly, it is only 2 francs in Brig-Glis.

And Davos in Graubünden charges 5.90 a night, while in Scuol, located in the same canton, this fee is 2.70.

But hotels are not to blame, as these fees are set by municipalities, not by accommodation companies.

Leo Hug, from Comparis, said a major reason for the significant differences is that village politicians usually set the rates without taking other areas into account. 

Even if a high tourist tax rate is charged, local residents are unlikely to object as the tax hikes do not directly affect them, Comparis finds. 

While the amounts do not seem significant, over a period of time the small amounts do add up – especially for families. 

A family of four holidaying in Saas-Fe for a week would be liable to pay 140 francs. 

Swiss news agency Watson reports that some municipalities have decided however to scrap the tourist tax, including Andermatt (Uri), Celerina, Flims and Val Müstair (Grisons) and Engelberg (Obwalden).

READ MORE: UPDATED: Who can travel to Switzerland right now?

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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