Poland enables more municipalities to charge tourist fees

President Karol Nawrocki has signed new legislation allowing more Polish municipalities to levy tourist fees on overnight visitors. The law removes previous environmental requirements, such as the necessity for a location to possess beneficial climatic or scenic qualities, which had previously restricted these charges to specific seaside and mountain resorts.

Under the new rules, municipalities can set a daily fee, with a maximum limit of 5 PLN for standard stays and up to 6.86 PLN in spa protection areas. The fee will be collected by accommodation providers, who will receive a 10 percent commission for the service. Certain groups, including people with significant disabilities and children under 16 with disabilities, will be exempt. Additionally, guests staying for more than 29 consecutive nights will not be charged.

The change is expected to benefit cities like Kraków, which had been unable to charge a visitor fee since 2015 due to air quality issues. Local officials in Kraków estimated that the new fee could generate between 80 and 100 million PLN annually for the city's budget.