Holidays in Barbados just got more expensive with the quiet introduction of new tourism taxes earlier this month.
As of July 1, tourists were hit with a new hotel tax, equal to $2.50 to $10 per night, depending on the class of accommodation, reports Travel Weekly.
That’s on top of an “airline travel and tourism development fee” of $70 that will be applied to passengers flying to destinations outside the Caribbean as of Oct. 1, and a 2.5 percent levy applied to “direct tourism services” like car rental services.
The additional taxes are meant to help offset the island’s government debts.
But travel agents, travelers and hotels have expressed dismay at the move, which was imposed with a week’s notice.
For the average family staying an average of 12 nights, the additional tax could add $240 to their hotel bill.
The additional room levy will be collected at the resort and hotels until 2020, when the VAT doubles to 15 percent.
