Kihnu Municipality Mayor Egon Vohu introduced the idea of a tourism tax during a municipal council meeting in February and plans to present concrete proposals at the council's March 13 session, Maaleht reports.

"I will submit a draft proposal to the council to obtain permission to approach the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture regarding the tourism tax. The ministry would then bring the matter to the Riigikogu through the government for discussion. Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to introduce the tourism tax next year," Vohu said.

Vohu suggests that the tax could be around €2 per visitor, with a higher fee for tourists who wish to visit Kihnu with a vehicle. He emphasized that the municipality aims to encourage visitors to explore the island on foot, as Kihnu is small enough not to require cars or large buses.

Residents officially registered in Kihnu Municipality would be exempt from the tax.

Each year, Kihnu receives around 20,000 tourists, meaning the tax could generate approximately €40,000 for the municipal budget.

Similar tourism tax considerations are underway in Vormsi and Ruhnu, with the small islands collaborating on the issue. However, neither Vormsi nor Ruhnu has taken concrete steps toward implementing such a tax yet.

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