A tourism tax is a fee a destination charges visitors, usually to fund infrastructure or curb overcrowding. Singapore does not levy one on tourists: there is no per-night bed tax and no arrival fee here, though hotels add a 10% service charge and 9% GST to your room rate. The catch is the rest of your trip. By 2026 a single family holiday can rack up several of these charges before you even check in, from Bali's flat levy to Japan's departure tax. This guide breaks down who charges what, how much it costs a Singapore traveller in 2026, and the one local scheme that gives money back instead of taking it.
Tourism tax is an umbrella term for several different charges. The most common is an accommodation levy, billed per room per night, often a flat amount or a small percentage of the room rate. The second type is an arrival or entry fee paid once per trip, sometimes bundled into a visa or travel authorisation. The third is a departure tax collected when you leave, frequently added to your air ticket so you never see it as a separate line.
The point of these charges is rarely to punish visitors. Governments use them to repair the very things tourism wears down, such as beaches, heritage sites, public transport and waste systems. Venice and Bali introduced theirs partly to manage crowds rather than to raise large sums. Knowing which bucket a charge falls into matters, because an accommodation levy scales with the length of your stay while an entry or departure fee is fixed no matter how long you visit.
No. Singapore does not charge tourists a bed tax, an arrival fee or a departure levy. What inflates a hotel bill here is the standard 10% service charge plus 9% GST, the same Goods and Services Tax locals pay on almost everything since the rate rose to 9% on 1 January 2024. That uplift of nearly 20% (1.10 x 1.09) is not a tourist-specific tax; it applies to the room because it is a service sold in Singapore.
The word levy does appear in one Singapore context, but it is aimed at residents, not visitors. The casino entry levy charges Singapore citizens and permanent residents S$150 per 24-hour visit or S$3,000 a year to enter Marina Bay Sands or Resorts World Sentosa. Foreign passport holders pay nothing to enter. It exists to discourage local problem gambling, not to tax tourism. If you want to understand how the 9% rate flows into everyday prices, our GST glossary entry sets out the mechanics.
Update, 13 October 2026: Japan's departure tax rose from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen on 1 July 2026, and ETIAS will cost 20 euros, the fee the EU announced in July 2025, not the 7 euros this table first showed; ETIAS is not running yet. The SGD column now uses October 2026 exchange rates, which cut the New Zealand levy to about S$72 from S$80. The table below converts the 2026 published rates into a rough Singapore-dollar figure so you can compare like for like. Conversions use the European Central Bank's reference rates of 12 October 2026 and move with the market, so treat the SGD column as a 'from around' guide rather than an exact quote. Always confirm the live amount on the official portal before you pay.
| Destination | Charge type | Rate (2026) | Approx. SGD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bali (Indonesia) | Entry levy, once per trip | IDR 150,000 / person | ~S$11 | Paid via the official Love Bali portal or app |
| Thailand | Entry fee, air arrivals | 300 baht / person | ~S$11 | Proposed air-arrival fee with accident cover; no confirmed start date |
| Japan | Departure tax | 3,000 yen / departure | ~S$24 | Tripled from 1,000 yen on 1 July 2026; added to your ticket |
| New Zealand | Visitor levy (IVL) | NZ$100 / person | ~S$72 | Paid with the NZeTA travel authorisation |
| Malaysia | Accommodation tax | RM10 / room / night | ~S$3 | Charged at hotels on foreign guests |
| Bhutan | Sustainable Development Fee | US$100 / person / night | ~S$128 | US$50 for ages 6 to 11; free under 6 |
| EU (Schengen) | ETIAS authorisation | 20 euros | ~S$29 | Not running yet and no start date announced; under-18s and over-70s exempt |
These are the destinations Singapore travellers visit most often, so the charges here are the ones worth budgeting for first.
Bali charges foreign visitors a flat tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per person, around S$11 at October 2026 rates. It is paid once per trip, not per night, through the official Love Bali platform. Pay it before you fly or at the airport, and keep the QR voucher, because checks at attractions have become more common.
Thailand's long-delayed 300 baht entry fee for air arrivals, roughly S$11, still had no confirmed start date by October 2026. A portion is earmarked for accident and medical insurance covering the visitor during the trip, with the rest funding tourism infrastructure. Confirm the start date on the official Thai government channels before you assume it applies to your flight.
Japan's International Tourist Tax is a departure tax of 3,000 yen, about S$24, charged when you leave and usually folded into your air or sea ticket. It tripled from 1,000 yen on 1 July 2026. Children under two are exempt.
Long-haul trips stack two kinds of charge: a one-off travel authorisation, then a nightly city tax on top once you arrive.
Treat tourism taxes as a separate line in your trip budget, the way you would treat travel insurance. For a family of four, a stack of these charges can quietly add a few hundred dollars. The fix is to total them before you book, not at the airport counter.
Work out whether each charge is per person or per room, and per trip or per night, because that decides how it scales. A nightly bed tax in Venice for two people across five nights is a different number from a one-off Bali levy. Slot the total into a holiday budget alongside flights, accommodation and a buffer for the weak-Sing-dollar months. Pay official fees only through government portals; copycat sites add a markup for doing the same form. And before you commit to dates, check whether a fee increase, like Japan's, lands during your trip.
While other countries take a tourism tax, Singapore lets eligible visitors claim tax back. Under the Tourist Refund Scheme, tourists can recover the 9% GST on goods bought from participating retailers, provided they spend at least S$100 (including GST) at a single shop, with up to three same-day receipts from the same GST-registered retailer combinable to hit that floor.
You must be 16 or older on the purchase date, not a Singapore citizen or PR, and not a holder of a work pass, Dependant's Pass, Long-Term Visit Pass or Student's Pass on the purchase date, in the 3 months before it, or on the day you claim. Show your original passport to the retailer when you buy, and leave by air from Changi or Seletar with the goods within 2 months of buying them. You claim at an eTRS self-help kiosk before departure, then a refund operator processes the payout, usually after deducting a small handling fee, so you receive a little under the full 9%. It only covers physical goods you take home, not hotel nights, meals or services consumed here. Residents filing their own taxes can compare how the same 9% rate works domestically in our Singapore tax guide.
No. Singapore has no per-night bed tax, no arrival fee and no departure levy for tourists. Hotel bills carry a 10% service charge and 9% GST, but those apply to the service sold rather than being a charge aimed only at visitors.
Bali charges foreign visitors a flat levy of IDR 150,000 per person, roughly S$11 at October 2026 rates. It is paid once per trip through the official Love Bali portal or app, not per night, and you should keep the QR voucher for checks.
Yes. Japan's International Tourist Tax tripled from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen, about S$24, on 1 July 2026. It is charged on departure and is usually folded into your air or sea ticket, and children under two are exempt.
There is no tourism tax to refund, but under the Tourist Refund Scheme eligible visitors can reclaim the 9% GST on goods bought from participating retailers, with a minimum spend of S$100 and a claim made at an eTRS kiosk before flying out.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
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