"If the city sees the value of tourism, whether in better cleaning, better spaces, but also more culture, then tourism is really worth it, it is visible", defended the mayor.

Carlos Moedas once again defended the doubling of the fee charged to tourists visiting Lisbon, from two to four euros per night, which drew criticism from the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP) and the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP), and gave as an example the new cultural and tourist hub of Almada Negreiros murals in the maritime stations, which received around 3.5 million euros from the tourist tax for its implementation.

"When I say that I want to increase the tourist tax, it's exactly to have more culture, more cultural equipment, it's to clean the city, it's to have greener spaces", insisted the mayor.

Carlos Moedas also stressed that this measure allows for the "lowering of taxes for Lisbon residents", remembering that tourism accounts for almost 20% of the city's economy and 25% of employment and guaranteeing that the idea "is not to reduce tourism, but also to invest in other areas".

"We have been working with Lisbon Tourism to think about new centralities, [...], we have more or less 35,000 tourists [daily] who enter our city and these 35,000 normally go to exactly the same places, go to the same parts of the city and what we have to achieve is new centralities", he pointed out.

Regarding the fears expressed by some entities that the increase in the fee will reduce the number of tourists, Vítor Costa said he does not share this view and believes that this will not happen.

"We have already had experience when the fee was introduced, with one euro, when it changed to two euros, and that had no impact. This movement of requalification, of the higher quality of tourism in Lisbon has been verified", he argued.

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