Somewhere around booking or check-in, you’ll notice a small extra charge that isn’t part of your nightly rate: the tourist tax (in Italian, the imposta di soggiorno or tassa di soggiorno). A couple of euros per night, and it catches some guests off guard — wait, what is this, and why am I paying it separately?
Fair question. Here’s the honest, complete answer: what it is, why it exists, what it costs here in Amantea, and — because we think transparency matters — exactly what we as your hosts are required to do with it. Spoiler: none of it lands in our pockets.
What is the tourist tax?
The tourist tax is a small local charge that visitors pay for each night they stay in a town that isn’t their own. It’s set and collected by the Comune (the local municipality), not by the national government and definitely not by us. It exists all over Italy — and much of Europe — and you’ll pay a version of it whether you stay in a five-star hotel, a B&B, a campsite, or one of our apartments.
The money is ring-fenced for the local area. Comuni use it to fund the things that make a place pleasant to visit: keeping the beaches and public spaces clean, maintaining local infrastructure, supporting cultural sites and events, and promoting the area to travellers. In other words, it goes back into the very place you came to enjoy.
How much is it in Amantea?
Here it’s straightforward:
- €2 per person, per night, for guests aged 12 and over.
- Children under 12 are exempt — right up until their 12th birthday, they pay nothing.
- It’s capped at 7 consecutive nights. So even on a long stay, the most anyone pays is €14 per person (7 nights × €2). Nights 8 and beyond are free of the tax.
So a couple staying five nights would pay €20 total (2 people × 5 nights × €2). A family of two adults and two children under 12 staying a week? Just €28 — the children are exempt, and the adults are each capped at €14.
Why do we have to ask you for it?
Because Italian law makes the accommodation host the collector. We’re the ones legally required to gather the tax from guests and pass it on to the Comune — think of us as a middleman the town relies on, not the beneficiary. We don’t set the rate, we can’t waive it, and we don’t keep a cent of it.
To be completely transparent, here’s what the law obliges us to do behind the scenes:
- Collect the correct amount from each guest, applying any exemptions.
- Give you a receipt for what you paid (more on that just below).
- Hand the money over to the Comune on a regular schedule.
- Report it to the authorities and keep our records on file for years, in case of an audit.
When we ask you for the tourist tax, we’re not padding the bill — we’re doing a job the law has assigned to us, and we’d frankly rather it were simpler for everyone too.
Do I get a receipt?
Yes — and you’re entitled to one. By law we have to provide proof of the tourist tax you’ve paid, so if you’d like a receipt, just ask and we’ll get it to you. Depending on how you booked, that proof might already be in your hands:
- Booked through Airbnb? The tax usually appears as its own line item in your booking, and your Airbnb payment record serves as your receipt.
- Booked through Booking.com or directly with us? We collect the tax during your stay and issue you a simple receipt for it.
Keep it if you like — some travellers expense it, and it’s a tidy record that the charge was official.
The easy part: if you booked on Airbnb
Here’s some good news. If you booked through Airbnb, the whole thing is likely handled for you automatically. Following a 2024 change in Italian law, Airbnb now collects the tourist tax directly from guests at the time of booking and pays it straight to the Comune on our behalf — across more than a thousand Italian towns and counting.
That means for Airbnb stays there’s usually nothing to sort out at check-in — no cash to dig out, no awkward “oh, there’s one more thing” moment at the door. You’ll simply have seen the tax as a separate line when you booked, and it’s already taken care of. If you’re due an exemption, Airbnb can refund it through their portal.
For bookings through Booking.com or made directly with us, that automation doesn’t apply, so we’ll collect the tax the old-fashioned way during your stay and give you your receipt.
A note on exemptions
The under-12 exemption is the one almost everyone asks about, and it’s the most common. Amantea’s rules also exempt a few other categories — for instance, a person with a certified disability-accompaniment allowance plus one carer, and police, armed forces, or civil-protection personnel staying here on official duty. Tour-group drivers and guides get relief too. If you think an exemption might apply to you, just mention it when you book and we’ll check the current rules and handle the paperwork.
The bottom line
The tourist tax isn’t a mystery fee or a host markup — it’s a small, transparent local charge that goes straight back into keeping Amantea beautiful and welcoming. We collect it because the law asks us to, we give you a receipt for it, and every euro of it reaches the Comune.
And if you booked on Airbnb, you’ve very likely already handled it without lifting a finger. Either way, now you know exactly what that little line on your bill is for — and you can get back to the important business of enjoying Amantea.
Tourist Tax in Italy: FAQs
How much is the tourist tax in Amantea?
€2 per person per night for guests aged 12 and over, capped at 7 consecutive nights (max €14 per person). Children under 12 are exempt.
Why do you pay a tourist tax in Italy?
It’s a local charge set by the municipality to fund tourism services and upkeep; hosts must collect it and pass it to the Comune.
Does Airbnb collect the tourist tax automatically?
Yes. Since a 2024 law change, Airbnb collects it at booking and remits it to the municipality. For Booking.com or direct bookings, the host collects it.
Do I get a receipt for the tourist tax?
Yes. Hosts must issue a receipt; on Airbnb your booking record serves as proof, otherwise the host provides one.
