Tax to make tourists pay for maintenance of sites in Wales moves step closer

  • Video report from our North Wales reporter Joanne Gallacher

Plans to make tourists pay for the maintenance of the sites they visit have taken a step forward.

The Welsh Government are proposing a tourist tax which allow councils to charge people staying in visitor accommodation such as hotels, Airbnbs or bed and breakfasts.

It comes after a public consultation on the idea came back with mixed responses.

Pembrokeshire ranks second in Wales for the longest working hours, with 14.29% of working residents working 49 hours or more weekly. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

The Minister for Finance and Local Government announced the proposal for tourists to contribute towards the cost of maintaining and investing the destinations they stay in.

The "levy" will be a small charge paid by people staying in commercially-let overnight visitor accommodation in a scheme seen in other tourist destinations including Greece, France, Amsterdam and California.

The proposals for the visitor levy have been developed as part of Welsh Government’s Co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

The Llŷn Peninsula is very popular with tourists over the summer. Credit: Visit Wales

Rebecca Evans said she understands some reservations that businesses have but believes the levy could put power into the hands of local communities.

She said: "It’s more important than ever that we look to create a sustainable tourism sector that also supports local communities.

"Many destinations around the world use visitor levies to empower and enhance their local areas for the benefit of visitors and locals alike – I am confident this will be the case here in Wales.”

The Welsh Conservatives have described the new plan as "toxic" and believe that it is unlikely the proceeds from the levy would be used to improve local tourism economies.

Tom Giffard MS, Shadow Minister for Tourism, said: "As ever the devil is in the detail with these consultations and we know that it is unlikely the proceeds would be used to improve local tourism economies.

"In fact Adam Price said it would be used for other vanity projects, so it's highly likely our local communities won't see any benefit.

The Labour Government should be working with the industry to boost this vital sector instead of taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

There are around 11,000 tourism businesses in Wales which bring in almost £7bn a year. Credit: ITV Wales

The new proposals came off the back of a public consultation on the tourist tax.

It gave feedback from businesses, local authorities and the wider public. It found support across most local authorities and across other organisations, although many responses came from representatives of the tourism industry and many disagreed with the principle of a visitor levy.

According to the survey, support for the tax was strongest in areas that attract the most tourists with 66% of people in agreement.

The idea of a tourist tax is not a new one on the global stage. Similar charges exist in more than 40 places around the world including in Greece and Amsterdam.

The plans surround talk of significant change for the Welsh tourism industry.

Only recently, the Senedd voted to support the creation of a bill establishing a new board of tourism for Wales.

Last year the owner of one of Wales' biggest attractions, Dan-yr-Ogof at the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, banned Welsh Government ministers including the First Minister Mark Drakeford from the site over what he called their "anti-tourism" policies.