Cost-cuts for tourists

The news should lighten your heart while leaving a little extra ballast in your wallet - Zakopane authorities have the changed the way that they charge tourist tax, effectively cutting the fees by a third. Visitors staying in the town overnight are charged 1.50zł per day, usually included in accommodation bills. However, the new method of calculating the tax, which came into force this year, means guests will now be charged from midnight to midnight. Whether or not hostel, hotel and apartment operators will pass this on direct to visitors remains to be seen - but it has already raised grumbles among local officials. Last year, the town made around 3 million zł from the tourist tax, but Stanisława Chowaniec, head of Zakopane's finance department, said the new rules mean income will drop by around 1 million zł this year.