Visitors to Madeira will pay more for almost everything in 2027. Hiking trail access, scuba diving and municipal tourist taxes are all going up. Diário de NotĂcias da Madeira pulled the full list of increases together on 14 November.
The region's main business association says the changes could hurt tourism demand. The regional government rejects that warning.
ACIF Warns Of Up To 40% Drop In Demand
The Associação Comercial e Industrial do Funchal, known as ACIF-CCIM, has forecast a demand drop of up to 40% for 2027. The business group based its outlook on consultations with the market. It points to a global slowdown and expects consumers to watch travel costs more closely.
AntĂłnio Jardim Fernandes, president of ACIF, says the situation is made worse in the region by the growing number of tourism fees. ACIF has also described "panic" in the tourist activities sector since the fee announcements.
Eduardo Jesus, the regional secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture, has accused ACIF of "alarmism." Jesus refused to back down on the new fees. Jesus also rejected the forecast of a 40% drop in summer bookings, saying tour operators are sending the opposite signal.
Pico Ruivo Trail Fee To Triple To 15 Euros From April
The regional government announced on 10 November that hiking trail fees will rise from 1 April 2027. The trails are managed by the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, known as IFCN.
The general fee for non-resident visitors over 12 rises from €4.50 to €7.50. Four of the busiest routes will cost €15, more than three times the current price. They are the Vereda do Pico Ruivo, the Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, the Levada do Caldeirão Verde and the Vereda dos Balcões.
The Vereda do Areeiro, which covers the paths linked to Pico Ruivo and Encumeada, rises from €10.50 to €18. A new Fanal circuit route, including PR13 Vereda do Fanal, will also cost €18.
The Rabaçal network is about 40 kilometers of trails, including the Levada das 25 Fontes and seven other routes. It currently charges €4.50 per trail. From 2027, one combined fee of €18 covers the whole network.
A new long-distance route, the Travessia da Madeira, will cost €75.
Multi-day passes are rising too. A one-day pass goes from €9 to €20, a three-day pass from €22.50 to €45, and a seven-day pass from €52.50 to €105.
| Trail | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| General trail fee | €4.50 | €7.50 ▲ +66.7% |
| Pico Ruivo, Ponta de São Lourenço, Caldeirão Verde, Balcões | €4.50 | €15.00 ▲ +233.3% |
| Vereda do Areeiro (Pico Ruivo / Encumeada) | €10.50 | €18.00 ▲ +71.4% |
| Fanal Circuit (new route) | n/a | €18.00 |
| Rabaçal network (~40km, one combined fee) | €4.50 per trail | €18.00 |
| Travessia da Madeira (new route) | n/a | €75.00 |
| Combined pass, 1 day | €9.00 | €20.00 ▲ +122.2% |
| Combined pass, 3 days | €22.50 | €45.00 ▲ +100% |
| Combined pass, 7 days | €52.50 | €105.00 ▲ +100% |
Operators with a formal protocol agreement with IFCN pay a separate, lower table. Trails in the €7.50 category cost them €5. Trails in the €15 category cost €10, and the €18 category costs €12.
Manuel Filipe, president of IFCN, said the fee update is needed to keep pace with investment and growing demand.
The preservation of our natural resources requires continuous work, significant investment and the capacity to respond to growing demand. We want to guarantee that those who visit our trails and marine spaces find adequate conditions of safety and enjoyment, while also contributing to the conservation of these assets, which are fundamental to Madeira's identity and to the sustainability of our tourism offer.
Manuel Filipe, president of IFCN
ACIF has called the increases unacceptable. The association says tourism in Madeira "cannot be treated as a sector to be plundered." It is also criticizing a separate tourist tax increase proposed by Funchal's city council.
Diving Fees Rise To 12.50 Euros Per Dive
The same ordinance also raises fees for autonomous scuba diving. The fee rises from €7.50 to €12.50 per person, per day, for each site created by a sunken vessel used as an artificial reef. The same rate applies to diving in Madeira's protected marine areas, per person, per day and per reserve.
Economic operators with an IFCN protocol will pay €8.50, up from €5 in 2026. Manned or unmanned submersibles used in protected marine areas face a separate charge of €250 per dive, under the operators' table.
| Activity | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Diving, per person/day/site | €7.50 | €12.50 ▲ +66.7% |
| Protocol operators (per person/day) | €5.00 | €8.50 ▲ +70% |
| Submersible dive, protected area (protocol table) | n/a | €250.00 |
Funchal, Santa Cruz And Porto Santo Double Tourist Tax To 4 Euros
Municipal tourist taxes are also rising. Unlike the trail and diving fees, these are set by each municipality. From 2027, every municipality in the region will charge one.
Funchal's city council approved doubling its nightly tourist tax unanimously on 1 October, from €2 to €4 per overnight stay. The change is expected to take effect in January 2027.
Santa Cruz's council announced the same doubling at the same time. Two weeks later, Porto Santo's council confirmed it would also double its fee, from €2 to €4.
Porto Moniz, until now the only municipality without a tourist tax, will start charging €2 a night from January 2027. As of 14 November, no other municipality had announced an increase for 2027, though the newspaper noted that could still change.
| Municipality | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Funchal | €2.00 | €4.00 ▲ +100% |
| Santa Cruz | €2.00 | €4.00 ▲ +100% |
| Porto Santo | €2.00 | €4.00 ▲ +100% |
| Porto Moniz | n/a | €2.00 ▲ new |
Jorge Carvalho, responding to ACIF's criticism of the Funchal increase, called Jardim Fernandes's objections "strange." Carvalho said the tax hike is meant to improve conditions in the city.
We don't want to drive tourists away from Funchal.
Jorge Carvalho
Albuquerque Keeps Ports Fee At 2 Euros, Urges Restraint
Albuquerque, president of the Regional Government, voiced concern in mid-October about the doubling of the tax in Funchal and Santa Cruz. Albuquerque called for more restraint in charging visitors.
Albuquerque guaranteed that a separate fee charged at the region's ports will stay at €2. That fee is charged per passenger in transit, disembarking at the Port of Funchal or in Porto Santo.
Rent-A-Car Fee Stays Flat, Capped At 10 Days
One tourism-related charge is not rising: the daily rent-a-car fee. Set by an ordinance in May 2026, it applies to self-drive vehicle rentals since 1 June 2026.
The fee costs €2 per full day of rental, up to a maximum of 10 days per contract, or €1 for a zero-emission vehicle. It is paid to the regional transport authority, IMT, IP-RAM.
As of 14 November, there was no sign of an increase for next year. ACIF has also contested this fee, alongside the trail, diving and tourist tax increases.
Source: dnoticias.pt
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