Tourists to Manchester will have to pay to stay from later this week in a UK first.
From April 1 everyone who stays in a city centre hotel or holiday apartment will have to fork out £1 per night, per room.
Officially called the ‘City Visitor Charge’, it is hoped the tax won't stop people from heading to Manchester and will raise £3million a year.
The city is the first in the UK to introduce a tourist tax, following in the footsteps of European hot spots such as Madrid and Rome.
The charge has been introduced ahead of a significant expansion of the hotel and holiday let sector in the city.
Nearly 6,000 hotel rooms will be added to Manchester over the coming years, leading to an extra one million overnight stays.
Last year a referendum was held among hoteliers on whether or not to implement the fee, with four in five voting in favour.
From the start of next month every ‘hotel and short stay serviced apartments’ in the city centre with a rateable value of £75,000 or more will charge the fee.
The money will help to fund the new Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District, which is designed to “improve the visitor experience” and “support future growth of the visitor economy” over the next five years.
The tax will apply to apartment specifically built to be holiday lets, but not typical Airbnbs.
Manchester may be the first UK city to make the move, but it will not be the last.
Edinburgh is about to introduce a £2 a night tourist tax after local officials voted through plans for it in November last year.
Oxford, Bath and Hull have considered a similar move in recent years, but opted against it.
Like in other major European cities with a tourist tax, visitors to Manchester will stump up the extra charge as part of their hotel or holiday apartment bill.
At the £1 rate it is significantly lower than other similar fees.
In Barcelona tourists are required to pay €4 (£3.50) a night, which is due to increase by at least €1.50 by April 1, 2024.
Venice charges visitors between €1 and €5 depending on the star rating of their accommodation.
The watery city is looking at charging day trippers up to €10 per person to visit in a bid to ease over tourism.
Annie Brown, the first chair of the ABID, said the Manchester tax was a smart move.
“I think (the message it sends) has been a consideration, however when you compare it to European cities that have had taxes and visitor levies in place for a number of years, we feel it’s a small amount comparatively,” she told Manchester Evening News.
“There are other cities in the UK looking to put in place what Manchester has done, I don’t think it’s a charge that’s off-putting.
“It’s projected to make about £3 million annually and that will fund the ABID and we will get the attractions, and cleaning, and deliver against our business plan. It’s going to be the largest accommodation BID outside of central London in terms of the revenue it generates.”
