Leverkusen is considering bed tax: tourism or budget rescue?

Leverkusen is considering bed tax: tourism or budget rescue?

There is currently a lively exchange in the heart of Leverkusen about the planned introduction of a bed tax, which is intended to contribute to the city's financial situation. How ksta.de reports, the city is enjoying an increasingly positive development in tourism, with over 200,000 overnight stays in 2023. This figure shows that Leverkusen is becoming increasingly popular as a stopover between Cologne and Düsseldorf, with overnight prices in nearby major cities increasing even more, especially during large events.

The accommodations in Leverkusen are cheap compared to their neighbors, but are also responding to demand by adjusting their prices. The Green Party's push to introduce an accommodation tax of three euros per night is intended to help improve the city's budget situation. Particularly interesting: This tax would only affect tourists and not the local population. Claudia Wiese, one of the initiators of the discussion, explained to the finance committee the idea that the tax should be paid directly to the city via the hotels and landlords.

Resistance to the bed tax

Despite the support in the town hall, there are also critical voices. Christoph Becker, chairman of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association for North Rhine, believes the bed tax is unjustified. He points out that the revenue is not earmarked and would instead go to the general budget. Becker advocates an alternative tourism tax that should directly benefit the promotion of the tourism sector instead of burdening companies with additional bureaucratic effort.

Concerns about the new tax were also expressed by various political parties such as the FDP and the AfD. Nevertheless, a large majority in the town hall is willing to introduce the bed tax in order to further support the positive trend in Leverkusen tourism.

Growth in tourism

The development of the number of overnight stays in Leverkusen is loud hotelvor9.de a positive sign for the hotel industry in the Cologne area. The increasing number of overnight stays not only has positive economic effects, but also social ones. Hotels and other accommodation providers benefit from the demand - a fact that is confirmed by tourism statistics statisticportal.de can be seen, is underpinned. Data shows interesting trends in accommodation utilization, from large hotels to smaller guesthouses.

With the introduction of the bed tax, the course for the further development of tourism in Leverkusen is set for change. It will be exciting to see how this will play out in practice. The discussion about the tax and its impact on the local market could represent the next important stage for Leverkusen, which is ideally positioned between two metropolises.