Moscú puede imponer impuestos turísticos

Moscow may enter the tourist tax for visitors of the capital – informs the newspaper “Izvestia”. The tax will be introduced if the influx of tourists to the capital increases to the expected values (more than 6 million people in the 2012–2016 years).

The tax amount is not specified – it is most likely, as in the European capitals, it will depend on the hotel type. Thus, in Rome tourist tax is from one to three euros per day.

Collected money will be used for maintenance of monuments, cleaning and maintenance of infrastructure. Thus, the tax will help to implement the overall program by attraction of tourists to Moscow.

However, the experts believe that the introduction of the tourist tax is beneficial only for the countries that have already proven themselves as popular tourist destinations. For example, Rome, London and Paris could enter the tourist tax with no impact on tourist arrivals. In Moscow, the annual increase of tourists is not so great, and the authorities would better focus on improving service, solving bureaucratic problems and improving the quality of service in hotels.