Talks of taxing tourists in the UK have been rumbling on for quite some time now. From Venice to the Caribbean charges for people staying places overnight are fast becoming the norm all over the world, either in an attempts to curb visitors or to invest in things that’ll keep them coming back. And regions across England want in on the action.
At the moment, legislation in England doesn’t allow cities to implement a tourist however, there are some initiatives that resemble it. Earlier this year, Liverpool’s Business Improvement District (BID) voted to to introduce a levy of £2 per night for overnight stays and Manchester’s BID introduced a ‘City Visitor Charge’ back in 2023 (which raised £2.8m in its first year). Regional leaders want to go further though.
Mayors of the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, London, the north east, the West Midlands and west Yorkshire have all signed a letter calling on the government to allow them to explore introducing a visitor levy to their respective regions. That includes cities like Birmingham, Bradford, Newcastle and Durham.
They want the government to grant devolved powers the ability to design and implement region-wide levies of £1 to £5, either via the upcoming English devolution bill or a specific finance bill.
The charge could bring as much as £11m a year to Liverpool and £40m per year to Manchester. The mayors’ letter states that the money made through the charge could potentially be reinvested into areas like supporting major cultural or sporting events, enhancing infrastructures used by visitors, promoting the UK as a tourist destination and providing skills development and business growth programmes.
As Scotland and Wales push forward with their own tourist tax, the mayors argue that England is at risk of falling behind.
The campaign is being led by Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool City Region. He said: ‘A small charge on overnight stays – the kind most of us wouldn’t think twice about when travelling abroad – would give us the power to reinvest directly into the things that make our area so special. From unforgettable events to the everyday essentials that support them, it’s about keeping our region vibrant, competitive and ready to welcome the world.”
Kim McGuinness, north east mayor, added: ‘A local tourism tax is so mainstream across the rest of the world you barely notice it, so it should not be a big step here in the UK.’
London mayor Sadiq Khan, who has previously discussed the idea, said: ‘A modest overnight accommodation levy, similar to other international cities, would boost our economy, deliver growth and help cement London’s reputation as a global tourism and business destination.’
As it stands, there are no official government plans to allow a regional tourist tax to become reality. But watch this space.
Did you see that Peak District visitors could soon be forced to pay a £1 entry fee?
Plus: This is Britain’s ‘loveliest’ seaside village, according to the Telegraph.
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