Norway's government will submit two proposals that will impact the country's tourism industry during the autumn, Myrseth confirmed to business news publication E24 on Thursday.
The first will be a visitor's contribution or tourist tax. A potential tourist tax has long been promised by the current government as part of the Hurdal Agreement it was formed on in 2021.
"In contrast to the previous government, we will put forward a long-awaited proposal that will ensure that the tourists who come to visit here must join and pay for the public goods," Myrseth told E24.
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Several areas in Norway have wanted national legislation allowing them to implement a tourist tax.
One of the reasons some regions are keen on a tourist tax is that many hotspots are located in small local authorities, where municipalities spend huge amounts each year on the upkeep of attractions, maintenance of key hiking trails and dealing with the pollution and litter caused by visitors.
The tax could see visitors to local municipalities that experience plenty of tourism charged more for hotels, souvenirs, and tourism activities. The industry minister said details on implementing the tax would be provided later.
"This is groundbreaking work, so we will have to come back to the arrangement and details, but we will send a proposal for consultation, and the aim is to do it as quickly as possible," she said.
The other policy the government will put forward in the autumn is regulating the guide industry.
Under the new rules the government wants to put forward, tour guides will need to be certified to use the title guide.
"It is important to ensure that those who will guide you around our mountains actually have some form of competence. We can't do cowboy business," Myrseth said.
Trygve Steen, managing director of the travel agency XXLofoten, said that the steps taken by the government are positive but that he was worried about the implementation of the tourist tax.
In some areas where overtourism has been reported, the visitors aren't necessarily staying in hotels meaning it might be hard for the tax to make an impact if the charge is added to accommodation.
"I am positive about tourist tax, but then it must affect everyone. I am concerned that it will only hit those who are already using hotels, thus not doing anything about unregulated accommodation," he said.
Lofoten, where Steen is based, has seen an explosion in tourists staying in RVs rather than hotels. It is also not clear how the tax would affect cruise ship tourists.
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