The Welsh Government has launched a public consultation on proposals to give local authorities the powers to introduce a visitor levy as a so-called "tourism tax".
The levy would be a small charge paid by people staying overnight in accommodation in Wales. Each local authority in Wales will have the power to decide if they want to introduce a visitor levy and the money raised will be re-invested in local areas to support local tourism. This could be investment in keeping the beaches and pavements clean through to maintaining local parks, toilets, and footpaths.
More than 40 countries and holiday destinations around the world have introduced a form of visitor levy including Greece, France, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and California. The Welsh Government claim that a discretionary visitor levy for local authorities in Wales would represent a very small proportion of a visitor’s overall spend.
