From January 1, 2025, the tourist tax should be raised by more than two and a half times. The proposal is from the capital's municipal enterprise “Tourism”, and the reasons are that the tax has not been updated for more than 13 years. The money is used to advertise Sofia as a tourist destination. Those affected are not hoteliers or apartment owners who rent them out on a short-term basis, but tourists.
If the changes are accepted, the new tax will be as follows:
- Apartments and hotels with 1 star - BGN 1 per night (now BGN 0.40);
- 2-star hotels - BGN 1.50 (currently BGN 0.60);
- 3-star hotels - BGN 2 (before BGN 0.80);
- 4-star hotels - BGN 2.50 (plus BGN 1 per night);
- 5-star hotels - BGN 3 (currently BGN 1.20).
In 2024, nearly 2.2 million nights were spent in Sofia, according to NSI data. This is nearly 10% above the levels of 2019. For last year, the revenues from the tourist tax amounted to BGN 2.3 million. With the changes, the revenues from this tax in 2025 are expected to be BGN 5.6 million.
Business is “for“ raising this tax, since in reality at the moment there are not enough funds for the promotion of Sofia as a tourist destination. The goal is for the money to be used purposefully, and not to go to the general budget of the municipality.
For other representatives of the business, the measure is too late, as the offered prices for the 2025 season have already been offered and, accordingly, certain commitments to partners and customers have already been made.