Talk of tourist taxes is usually met with a collective groan by travellers. After all, holidays are expensive enough without adding on extra charges. While the likes of popular European cities including Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam have applied some form of taxes to overnight stays for years, Edinburgh is the first destination in the UK to introduce a city-wide tourist levy. The five per cent tax, which came into force exactly a week ago, applies to the first five nights staying in accommodation that includes hotels, self-catering apartments, bed and breakfasts, campervans, campsites, hostels, holiday lets and boats that stay in one place.
Practically, this means that if you spent £100 a night staying at an Edinburgh hotel (or any of the accommodation listed above), you would pay an extra £5 a night. So for a five-night stay your bill would be £525. For a seven-night stay your bill would be £725, as you would only pay the tax for the first five nights.
