The hospitality industry fears a tourist tax will deter visitors – the evidence says otherwise

A study found that Manchester’s hotels have seen no reduced occupancy since an overnight visitor levy was introduced in 2023. Photograph: Mark Waugh/Alamy

If you wandered down Las Ramblas or lazed on a beach in the Balearics this summer, you probably paid a tourist tax for the privilege. In fact, if you enjoyed any of Europe’s beauty spots in recent years, it is likely that an overnight levy was added to your bill.

Britons have become used to paying these fees abroad but ministers have shied away from introducing them in the UK. The furious response from UK hospitality bosses helps to explain why.