Surfing hotspot Nazaré to introduce tourist tax from September

Visitors staying overnight in Nazaré will have to pay a new tourist tax from September 1, as the municipality seeks to offset the increasing pressure tourism places on public infrastructure and local services.

Under the new regulations, all tourist accommodation providers will charge €1 per person, per night for guests aged over 12. The fee will apply to hotels, local accommodation (Alojamento Local) and other tourist lodgings.

Exemptions will apply to visitors aged over 65, people with disabilities and guests who fall ill during their stay.

The new rules were published in Portugal’s official gazette, the Diário da República, and confirmed by Nazaré Municipal Council.

The council said the measure is intended to ease the “additional pressure on public infrastructure and municipal services” created by tourism, particularly in areas such as street cleaning, maintenance of public spaces and strengthening public safety.

The tourist tax comes into force on September 1, although bookings made before that date for stays later this year will not be affected.

Meanwhile, from August 1, the municipality will also implement new regulations governing local accommodation (Alojamento Local), introducing areas where further tourist accommodation will be restricted and others where sustainable growth will be permitted.

According to the council, the new policy aims to steer future tourism development towards vacant, derelict or holiday properties that are not used as permanent homes, helping to reduce pressure on the local housing market while supporting more sustainable tourism growth.

Nazaré is one of Portugal’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors year-round and earning global recognition for its giant waves and world-class surfing.

The municipality joins a growing number of Portuguese destinations that have introduced tourist taxes in recent years to help manage the impact of rising visitor numbers.

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident