Plans for a new tourism tax in Wales are moving forward, the Welsh Government has confirmed. Legislation enabling local authorities to introduce a visitor levy in their areas will be put to the Senedd within this government term which ends in 2026.
It comes after a public consultation, which ended in December of last year, found that a majority of respondents, which stood at 58%, agreed that tourists should contribute towards the costs of maintaining and investing in the destinations they stay in. The findings of the consultation, which were published on Thursday, found that support for a levy was strongest in areas that attract the most tourists, with two thirds of people in Wales who reported that they live in areas that had a lot of tourism back the introduction of a visitor levy.
The controversial levy will be a small charge paid by people staying in commercially-let overnight visitor accommodation, the Welsh Government has said. Similar charges are commonplace around the world, used in more than 40 destinations including Greece, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Catalonia - although tourism groups say they all have far lower VAT rates for their tourism sectors.
