The European holiday hotspots REJECTING plans for Brexit tourist tax introduced in France – and inviting Brits to spend their money there instead

Several European holiday hotspots have rejected plans to introduce a tourist tax for non-EU visitors that has been imposed in France.

British tourists in France are facing having to pay €5 (£4.10) to visit popular sights like the Louvre or Notre Dame cathedral in Paris because of Brexit. 

The new tax could be imposed as soon as 2026.

‘I want visitors from outside the EU to pay more for their entrance ticket and for this supplement to finance the renovation of the national heritage,’ culture minister Rachida Dati told Le Figaro. 

But other holiday hotspots like Bruges in Belgium, Madrid in Spain, Amsterdam in The Netherlands and Berlin in Germany have promised that they would introduce no such tax and tourists should travel to their cities instead of France and Paris.

Bruges’ mayor Dirk De fauw told the Telegraph: ‘We will never make a difference between European inhabitants and non-European inhabitants’ (pictured: Bruges)

Meanwhile in Madrid (pictured), the city’s right-wing regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso said she would not be introducing tourist taxes

Bruges’ mayor Dirk De fauw told the Telegraph: ‘We will never make a difference between European inhabitants and non-European inhabitants.’

He added that while the city might introduce an extra charge for cruise day trippers, it would be the same whether the guest is from the EU or not. 

Meanwhile in Madrid, the city’s right-wing regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso said she would not be introducing new tourist taxes. 

‘Madrid is not going to impose new taxes. The president rules out any tax that taxes tourism,’ a spokesman told the Telegraph.

‘Our policy is one of low taxes that generate greater economic activity, job creation and prosperity.’

Her comments come after Diaz Ayuso enraged residents in Spain’s capital by telling restaurants to open earlier for lunch and dinner for tourists. 

Another city ruling out a Brexit tourist tax is Berlin, while a spokesman for Amsterdam said there are ‘no plans to impose a local taxation for non-EU-residents, especially not when it comes to museums’.

The Dutch capital has instead focused its efforts on improving tourist behaviour in its centre and red-light district to keep the areas liveable for residents.

This comes after a summer of anti-tourism campaigns in Europe, with residents protesting against Airbnb and its short-term holiday rentals in Barcelona over pricing them out of affordable homes, while locals in Malaga launched a protest against unruly behaviour from British visitors. 

Barcelona has hiked its so-called ‘tourism tax’ for the second time in four years, in a bid to curb overtourism.

Another city ruling out a Brexit tourist tax is Berlin, which is pictured above

A spokesman for Amsterdam (pictured) said there are ‘no plans to impose a local taxation for non-EU-residents, especially not when it comes to museums’

The Spanish city, which is home to 1.6 million people, every year hosts around 7 million visitors, which puts a strain on the city’s resources.

On April 1, the local authorities increased the city tax, which travellers see at the bottom of their accommodation bill, to €3.25 (£2.70) for every night spent in the city.

While France hopes to use the extra charge for non-EU tourists to renovate its major sights, Venice – which also introduced a €5 charge – aims to reduce overcrowding. 

The tax in Venice only applies on certain peak days when the city is charging day-trippers to enter in order to preserve its heritage.