Marburg plans tourism tax: Hoteliers' worries are increasing!

Marburg plans tourism tax: Hoteliers' worries are increasing!

On Tuesday, July 1st, hoteliers, holiday apartment owners and restaurant operators from Marburg met in the conference and technology center (TTZ) to find out about the new Tourism tax to be introduced in the city from 2026. The levy, which has already been decided by both the city of Marburg and the city parliament, is based on similar models from Frankfurt and Fulda.

The meeting's particular focus was the presentation by Dominik Höhl, head of the Office for Tourism and Marketing Management, who explained the model from Fulda in more detail. From April 2024, the tax will be charged there at a rate of two euros per adult per night. Last year, Fulda collected an impressive 608,000 euros from this levy, a constantly growing contribution that is used to strengthen the location. Tourism taxes have been common in Germany since the 16th century and contribute to financing tourism measures and strengthening the local economy, as does the site tourism-fulda.de explained.

Implementation and advantages of the levy

One advantage of this tax is the comparatively low administrative burden. Thanks to booking platforms like Booking.com, billing has become easier for hoteliers: just one click and the invoice is issued automatically. The money collected is then transferred to the city. The consideration of the introduction of this tax took some time, but it became clear that the incentive to stay overnight in the surrounding area to avoid the tax could be worrying.

Another point raised at the meeting concerns possible exemptions for special groups, such as cancer patients and their relatives. City officials considered these requests to be difficult because the motivation for the trip is not always easy to verify. How destination-thinking.de reports, the levy could be a solution to alleviate the financial challenges facing many municipalities while promoting local tourism offerings.

Financial Significance and Outlook

The levy is not just another item in the city's budget, but is intended to be used specifically for Marburg urban and rural tourism projects (MSLT) as well as for city marketing measures. The magistrate is even planning to set up an advisory board to distribute the funds, which consists of members of the city administration, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehago). This could have a positive signaling effect for the industry.

With this initiative, Marburg is well on its way to expanding its status as an important tourism city and thus remaining attractive to visitors in the future. The levy could not only help improve infrastructure, but also further strengthen cultural diversity and the local economy.