The eastern Norwegian township of Trysil, known for its popular ski resort and vast holiday cabin industry, wants tourists to foot more of the bill to make the area more attractive. They don’t want to use the term “tourist tax,” but some form of new fees may be added, for example, to hotel bills.
Local officials have sought permission form the state to impose what they claim will be a modest fee. “We don’t want to fleece anyone, but we want to offer our guests more,” Anne Dorte Carlson of Destination Trysil told newspaper Aftenposten.
Hotel and ski resorts at Trysil have also been among those suggesting that cross country skiers should pay to use prepared ski tracks, but that’s since been deemed illegal. Instead, they’re considering a sort of tourist tax common in many other resort areas in the world, to help pay for services geared to the tourist market.
That could be in the form of better bike trails, for example. Carlson said that adding just NOK 10 (about USD 1.50) per day to hotel bills could double the funds the tourist industry has available at present for marketing and promotion.
Views and News staff
