The Bahamas, one of the world’s top cruise destinations, has announced plans to raise taxes for cruise tourists.
The country’s Government is planning to raise tourist taxes with tourists cruising to Nassau and Freeport paying $30 (£24) and those visiting a private island, $32 (£25).
Many of the world’s largest cruise lines, including Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have private islands in the Bahamas.
Money raised from the potential taxes would go towards supporting the environment and tourist infrastructure.
Some of the changes are planned to start on July 1 while the rest of the taxes are set for January 1.
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Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas, recently set a new visitor record with more than 28,000 passengers visiting the port.
The port has recently been upgraded with the addition of a new berth and pier repairs costing around $300million (£241million).
Nassau is now able to receive over 30,000 cruise passengers per day with the port expecting to host four million in 2023.
The Bahamas isn’t the only popular cruise destination to be considering raising taxes for passengers.
Officials in Barcelona have considered raising taxes for cruise passengers who stay overnight in the city.
Cruise tourism can be controversial as many local residents feel the guests don’t spend a lot of money in the destinations they visit.
The majority of passengers eat most of their food on the ship so don’t tend to purchase a lot while on land.
Some popular destinations have also complained that hotspots become overcrowded during peak cruise season.
In Scotland, a debate is currently raging over whether cruise ships should be allowed to hoot their horn when they leave.
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