Krakow is a top-tier city break destination (particularly in the autumn): it’s got everything from great beer to an unmatched modern art scene, plus streets and buildings marking out its chequered wartime history.
However, as Poland’s most popular tourist destination – welcoming around 10 million visitors per year – Krakow could soon be following in the footsteps of destinations like Italy in implementing a tourist tax for visitors.
Krakow’s city council recently voted to back a resolution that allows municipalities to charge a tourist tax. One was briefly introduced in 2014, but collections were apparently suspended because Krakow failed to meet certain environmental requirements, according to Birmingham Live.
Now, after years of campaigning, local authorities are having another stab at introducing the tax, as locals are increasingly expressing their discontent with the volume of visitors in the city.
‘The phenomenon of touristification of many attractive locations is becoming an increasingly serious problem,’ reads the city council’s resolution, ‘Overtourism leads to tensions and social discontent in many places in Europe. The local community suffers from this … because residents increasingly feel like tourists in their own city.’
More on overtourism
Krakow is far from the only destination grappling with high visitor numbers right now. Athens, Budapest, Barcelona, Madrid and Czechia are all considering various caps on short-term holiday lets, and there are plenty of destinations that want people to stay away altogether. What’s more, lots of places are upping their tourist taxes, and some are just fed up with unhinged behaviour.
Did you see that this European capital just banned late-night bar crawls?
Plus: Santorini and Mykonos will soon impose a €20 tourist tax?
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