Highland Tourism Visitor Levy (Tourist Tax)

[Moriarty]

Seems a pretty tawdry and wholly transparent attempt by the cooncil to raise funds.

"Tawdry" That's a word the Right Honorable Member for the 18th Century would be proud of. Perhaps we should have a Tombola and raise some money in a less tawdry manner than taxation?

why not a Kent visitor tax?

Kent is a high population, high affluence, extremely well infrastuctured part of the UK. The population of Kent doesn't swell by more than 100% in the summer. Businesses do not struggle due to extreme seasonal variations.

Visit Portree or Tobermory in December - Ghost towns.

[Bothybob]

If at the end of the day a tourist tax is levied it should be ring fenced to provide the infrastructure for facilities such as car parks , toilets and improvements to roads

[Sunset tripper]

If at the end of the day a tourist tax is levied it should be ring fenced to provide the infrastructure for facilities such as car parks , toilets and improvements to roads

Little chance of that when at the moment the new inflated car park charges are not even ring fenced.
The scottish government while on its blinkered march for independence is in some strange way adopting the very worst practices from the south ie. profiteering car park charges, It then washes its hands of it and blames the council.
A tourist tax is proposed to be available for all councils in Scotland should they wish to accept them, not just the highlands. I imagine the councils will be forced to adopt them to help make ends meet and service their debt.
We will then have fuel tax, car park tax, tourist tax, etc etc.
Where does it all end and does anyone actually envisage a marked improvement in facilities in the highlands?
I have little faith in the highland council and them being given any money to look after. I sometimes wonder if the councillors have ever been to the highlands when you look at, for example the new hydro schemes approved for Glen Etive, the river ness fiasco, the closure of public toilets and the non policing of the single track roads - especially on the NC500.

[rodderss]

Pretty sure a couple of pounds tourist tax to nightly room rate is not going to damage tourism in Scotland to any noticeable effect.

Councils will just use the tax to add another body to watch another council worker dig a hole in the ground.instead of 6 watching it will be 7.

The highlands are very welcome to put some tourists to Aberdeenshire.peak summer and not that many going around Aberdeenshire!Moray Coast towns

[Marty_JG]

Pretty sure a couple of pounds tourist tax to nightly room rate is not going to damage tourism in Scotland to any noticeable effect.

If it hits campsites it could be a relatively large percentage increase.

[Skyelines]

As a tourist I would have no objection to paying 1% on my overnight accommodation provided the revenue was spent locally to maintain and improve the infrastructure for tourists and locals.
A flat rate disproportionately impacts those with less disposable income.

I can understand the reluctance from businesses for the tax as they would have to administer it as part of their business operations. The argument used is that it would/could reduce business but I think it is more likely not wanting to have to administer tax collection through their business operation for no direct benefit to themselves. Perhaps if the council reduced business rates for businesses administering the tax that would help.

As someone who lives/has lived in heavily visited areas I would support a tourist tax as defined above. Large numbers of tourists inconvenience our everyday activities and it would be nice if in compensation we could, at least, drive on smooth roads during the winter instead of bumping over potholes everyday.
Not everyone who lives in a tourist hotspot benefits from tourism.

[davekeiller]

Personally, I don't trust the politicians to use the money wisely, so I think it's a bad idea.

I also think we have to remember the knock on effects of a tourist tax on the people who live and work in the highlands. Accommodation providers, pubs, restaurants, shops, transport providers etc. all rely on tourists to some extent to remain profitable and to employ people. Set a tourist tax too high and you'll see a drop in visitors that's big enough to see some of those businesses go under with the attendant loss of jobs. Such a tax could therefore end up costing more money than it raises.

[Marty_JG]

A tax on campsites would be absurd, even £2 on a £10 pitch is a 20% price rise.

[fhaggis]

I think it’s a great idea in theory, really common when you go away now and the hotel charges you a tourist tax that I’ve never minded paying. Absolutely would not stop people coming as tourists.

With regards off the money being reinvested into infrastructure etc on one hand that’s great but on the other we go To these places because they don’t have huge infrastures and are unique.

[Skyelines]

With regards off the money being reinvested into infrastructure etc on one hand that’s great but on the other we go To these places because they don’t have huge infrastures and are unique.

I don't think many who live in these places want much additional infrastructure, just the necessary things to cope with the numbers of visitors in popular locations and the rest to be kept in good condition.

More available money would mean that any new infrastructure could be well made and of good design rather than just enough to be serviceable.

[Lightfoot2017]

With regards off the money being reinvested into infrastructure etc on one hand that’s great but on the other we go To these places because they don’t have huge infrastures and are unique.

I don't think many who live in these places want much additional infrastructure, just the necessary things to cope with the numbers of visitors in popular locations and the rest to be kept in good condition.

More available money would mean that any new infrastructure could be well made and of good design rather than just enough to be serviceable.

Skye has a resident population of c.10,600. It received c.660,000 visitors in 2017. Almost 80% from elsewhere in the UK. The island is screaming out for new infrastructure to handle those numbers. Not just that, residents and community groups I've spoken to recently (I do a bit of community engagement work in my job and I've been working in Skye this year) want measures to reduce the numbers of visitors. I don't think a tourist tax of say £2 pp/pn will make even the slightest difference.

[fhaggis]

You can’t and won’t reduce visitors, and oddly enough threads like these make me really want to go back to sky!

Only been the once and we drove a lot around the island and the only bit where it was busy/lacking was at the fairy pools.

It’s a catch 22 where people on the island will rely on tourists but it must be really frustrating during the summer.

[Giant Stoneater]

When places get popular prices increase and some are just mindboggling,so why the need for a tourist levy,one place charges £400 extra a week due to what time of year,which makes it £1,750 for a week,pure greed,surely the tax raised should be enough to supply services.
Before I could have afforded to stay at this accommodation but now this is way out my price bracket.

[Skyelines]

When places get popular prices increase and some are just mindboggling,so why the need for a tourist levy,one place charges £400 extra a week due to what time of year,which makes it £1,750 for a week,pure greed,surely the tax raised should be enough to supply services.
Before I could have afforded to stay at this accommodation but now this is way out my price bracket.

General taxation goes to central government and doesn't come back to the locality that it came from in proportions that reflect particular needs.
A tourist tax if returned to the community that raised it would make a difference in the locality.

[davekeiller]

You say that you can't reduce visitor numbers, but actually you can. If you set the levy high enough, then people will either go somewhere else because it's cheaper or they won't go at all. That's one of the reasons why places like Amsterdam have introduced tourist taxes.