Tourists visiting Bucharest will face a new tourist tax from 2026, aimed at promoting the Romanian capital as a tourist destination. The General Council of Bucharest Municipality published the draft law establishing the fee this month, which was approved just four days later, on December 23. The swift approval has raised concerns about the lack of a clear plan on how the funds will be used.
According to authorities, the tax is expected to generate around 2.9 million euros and will be applied to every tourist staying in accommodation facilities in Bucharest, at a rate of around 2 euros per night. Unlike practices in many other cities, this tax will not be linked to the price of accommodation and will be collected by hoteliers, online platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, or by travel agencies.
Failure to comply with the rules could result in fines of up to 294 euros for individuals and around 785 euros for businesses, according to local media.
However, the Federation of the Romanian Hotel Industry (FIHR) has warned that the measure could negatively impact tourism. Industry representatives point out that, while promoting the city is important, the law was passed in a hasty and non-transparent manner, risking that Bucharest will remain a fiscally expensive destination without a clear promotion strategy.
