Tourist Tax

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News
Does anyone know the corret answer to this message I have received below. And email to the address brought no reply, and this is common in Madeira.
I think I read somewhere something similar with AL properties, that if you book more than one during a stay , say you are staying for 2 weeks or more, you then pay the tourist tax on each change.
Morning Tobi.
I sent an email to info.srtc@madeira.gov.pt, asking for information on the new tourist tax for Funchal, on the 8th October 2024.  I have enclosed the text;
I understand that the Funchal tourist tax has now been implemented.
The charge being 2 euro per person per night to a maximum of 14 euro, my question is, I have been informed that as we own timeshare with Pestana , and stay for 4 weeks continuously in the summer, but at 3 different resorts, every time we move to our other timeshare in the Pestana group in Funchal, we will again have to pay the tourist tax, even though we have not left the Island.
Could you please confirm if this is the case, or will proof of paying in the first week be sufficient.
Im also interested on anyones experience with paying the 3 euros tax for the Levadas, is the system working and made clear. ?

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Tobi Hughes

33 Responses

  1. Just returned from Madeira. Moved between Pestana hotels. Pain in both. At Christmas we have three moves and will pay three times???

  2. We have not long come back and stayed in two different hotels (2 different chains) and paid the tourist tax in each one for a maximum of €2 per person for seven days. In May we also stay in two different Pestana hotels and when we change hotels you have to pay the tourist tax again (we did check and clarify it with the reps). Each change of hotel venue regardless of chain of hotels the tourist tax is paid again.
    To be fair Madeira is so clean and welcoming as long as the tourist tax is applied back into the country I have no problem contributing to it. Just don’t want to see it lining Government pockets like the UK.

  3. I’m always interested in the mentality of the person asking these sort of questions. Whats wrong with paying the tax each time? I understand you don’t get rich giving money away but the idea behind the Tourist Tax is for the benefit of your destination.

    1. Hi Colin, my mentality is good, thank you for asking.
      The reason I posed the question to the Camera, was there seems some uncertainty and I was after official information. I have heard some reports that unscrupulous AL owners are alleged to be trying to charge visitors even after the first 7 days.
      I’m not saying this is the case with all but seems that this has not been thought through and made public. As a visitor to the island for 20+ yrs and having many Madeiran friends, who live on low wages, I have no objection to paying but would like to think that the tax will benefit locals.

  4. The answe is yes, the tax is applied per property. In other words stay for up to 7 nights in one property and you will pay up to the maximum of 7 nights (per person). Stay more than 7 nights in the same property and you only pay for the first 7 nights. Move between two or more properties in Funchal and the same rule applies to each property. The only difference is this is in Funchal. Different local councils around the island may have different daily rates or currently don’t charge anything. The only exemptions are residents of Madeira, any children under 12 and people with a 60% registered disability who should not be charged, once proof has been provided. The only other option is to simply refuse to pay the tax! Currently there are no legal penalties for non payment but the establishment probably will want written proof of your grounds for refusal that they are required to forward to the council to avoid being charged themselves.

  5. It is right, everytime you change the location, you have to pay the tourist tax again. Because every council has his own system for paying the tax. Each system is not working and not prepared for seeing who of the guests was paying.

  6. Hi. Running alojamento in the Machico area I think we have to collect tourist tax from everyone unless they have moved from Machico to us. So you only need to pay the tourist tax once if you stay within the district that you originally paid the tax in. Of course this is not set in stone yet. Machico is holding a meeting on Weds to confirm these things.

  7. We are in madiara now and have been for 3 weeks booked out of hotel yesterday for flight home flight was cancelled due to go today so had to book back in to hotel and pay a days tourist tax and if you stop in different resorts on the same holiday you will have to pay again 🤷🏻‍♂️🤯🤬💰

  8. My timeshare is in the residence PortoBay . The email I received states you pay in the property you are staying . If I move to another PortoBay resort then I pay again .
    Would have thought Pestana would have made it clear to their clients too

  9. That is consistent with information we have been given by Savoy Signature. The tax is payable for stays in individual resorts. Each resort you stay in must raise the Tourist Tax for up to seven days per check in/stay. I’m not sure that this is an government oversight in the operation of this tax but the fact that each resort is entitled to retain 2.5% of the amount charged means they are unlikely to be too worried. The Royal Savoy issued us with a separate receipt, and had we moved on to the Savoy Palace, as we often do, it would be simple to evidence that seven days had already been paid. It seems unfair and maybe an unintended consequence of legislation that does not reflect the reality of how many visitors choose to use accommodation in the weeks they are here!

  10. Hi

    I am an AL owner, yes you are right, the tourist tax is charged at 2€ per person per night, free under 12, for a maximum of 7 nights in 1 location. If you stay in several places, each eastablishment has to charge you, as they have to pay the tax on your behalf, and there is no way around it, they register your stay with them and have to charge for the first 7 nights.
    If you stay 2 weeks but just a few nights in one place then move you will pay for every night of your stay.
    I have a lot of short bookings as folk like to sample different parts of the island, so I am not sure if that will continue.
    Gill

    1. Alojamento (accommodation) local. Every place that rents to Tourists must have an AL licence. AL licences are granted if accommodation meets sent basic standards, including fire precautions and safe warer supplies etc. AL licences for apartments in apartment blocks are currently under review since many residents are objecting to the extra noise etc often generated by such holiday lettings. Failure to register can result in fines of several thousand euros. All AL properties just like all establishments coming into contact with the general public must by law have a “Livre de reclamoise” or complaints book, tourists not satisfied with the establishment and that fails to deal with any complaints may ask for this complaints book.

      1. Hi. When you say AL licences for apartments in apartment blocks are currently under review, do you mean they are reviewing whether to grant AL licences for apartments in the future, or do you mean they are reviewing whether the AL licences that have already been given out to apartment owners and these could be taken away? Thanks

  12. Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden egg. What is the mentality behind this sudden and spurious desire to charge tourists for: parking at scenic places, seeing the sunrise (believe it or not!), taking a hike, staying in AL accomodation, hiring a car etc etc. Next we will be taxing them to take a s***. Seriously, it’s not the amount but the nuisance issue with paying for everything you do on the island. We must exercise caution.

    1. The principle of paying for parking etc. is worldwide. In Cornwall [UK] parking at most spots is paid for [and that includes residents Summer & Winter]. Having to pay a few euros a day will not put people off and if it helps keep the island a cleaner place great! Just looked at one of Cornwall’s biggest attractions [Eden Project] it’s £38 per adult and it doesn’t stop people, a few euros shouldn’t put people off.

    2. Bruce I am from Canada and live on Georgian Bay, car parking in Collingwood is 10$ per hour. I think if
      Madeira uses the money to improve parking conditions it will be seen as a very positive.

  13. Sorry to hear about the tourist tax. Money grab for sure. Although we have been to Madeira several times and love it dearly, it has become out of our reach money wise. The condo we rented for a month in November 2022 for $1840 Canadian is now advertised for $5408 Canadian. WOW!! And with all the car rental companies allowed in Madeira in January of 2023, the traffic is beyond, especially at the tourist sites. The tourist tax is just another way of getting money from tourists but also gives us another reason not to continue. I wish Madeira all the best in the future but sad to say no longer in our winter plans.

    1. We are ALL absolutely shocked by the exhorbitant price increases be it from restaurants, hotels or any other business enterprise. This will, seemingly, continue while people are prepared to pay. Obviously, when customers become less, only then will prices come down.

    2. Sad to read about your huge increase in rental charges. Sounds like someone is price gouging! My advice is shop around, not every person renting property is trying to screw tourists.

  14. According to The Residence website it is a maximum of €14 for 7 nights However it has to be a continuous stay at the same hotel. IE if you stay at another hotel even if it is within the same hotel group you will have to pay again.

  15. Same as us Kathy. Along with BA stopping flights to and from Heathrow. Madeira, though a lovely island, has outpriced itself. I will miss Madeira when our apt comes to an end. We look somewhere else for winter sun, may make visit to Porto Santo sometime

    1. You will pay the same tax on Porto Santo, you can also fly from Gatwick which although perhaps a longer journey is still doable, my nearest UK airport is a 3 hours drive and the plane is always full. You appear to be looking for a reason not to come, rather than an alternative solution. Is €2 a day really putting you off or do you want a change of scenery?

      1. May try a holiday with a travel company to our Hotel in Madeira which we have done before as a last minute. Funny how when you get older you get set in your ways!

  16. The tax was always advertised to be for the first seven days for your stay on the island, it was never mentioned that you could not move between ALs or hotels, which is obviously the case for many tourists. If this is the case, it must be written somewhere. Can someone provide the source?

  17. What winter sun destinations are cheaper this year than last year? Asking for a friend.

    1. 🙂 you hit the nail on the head, Madeira is still excellent value and ‘living’ costs are still lower than many resorts/countries. I frequently eat out and get a great meal for less that €25, sure it’s not a Michelin Star blob on a plate but good honest Madeira food, even if you want burgers and pizza it’s still less expensive. Can’t do that in the UK, I’m shocked at what I hear from friends in the UK. All the talk about a €2 tourist tax and nobody seems to have mentioned the higher airfares.

  18. For the new tourist tax in Funchal a tourist has to pay 2 euros per night for a maximum of 7 nights . If he changes location in Funchal he has to pay again depending on the number of nights he stays in the new location but it does not add up with the previous location . Ex if a tourist spend 6 nights in the Reid’s hotel he will pay 12 euros and if he continue and spend 7 nights at the savoy palace he will pay another 14 euros . Exception is made made for persons under 12 years old and disabled persons who do not pay this tax . Hope this will help you .

  19. What hasn’t been answered is whether we will get charged again and again if we stay in one resort for three weeks, but move apartments, within that resort each week. I am asking because we do that on some of our holidays.
    If that is the case, it won’t stop us coming to Madeira, that is something we have done several times each year for the last 22 years.

  20. Two Euros, per day, pp. They don’t charge such outrageous fees in Benidorm or the fleshpots of Majorca, why don’t those complaining visit those holiday spits, sorry spots.

    1. Exactly George, those that are moaning about the tax appear to me looking for an excuse not to come. Tourist spots have to be kept safe and this will help a little. It is massive increases in hotel prices and flight costs that put people. I visited the Botanical Gardens again this week, last week it cost €7.50 this week it’s €10 that’s 25% increase, it didn’t stop a long queue forming! (And it’s good value) If you can’t afford €2 a day tax Benidorm sounds an attractive alternative 🙂

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