Tourism tax in Cornwall could help manage 'negative impacts' of visitors, council hears
A 'tourism tax' for people who stay in Cornwall could be a way of mitigating the impact large influxes of visitors have on the Duchy, a council meeting has heard.
Cornwall Council heard details of the study into how the economic and environmental impacts of tourism could be improved at a meeting on 9 January.
It comes as Manchester introduced a tourist tax last year, which has seen a £1 charge added to the cost of a room per night. The tax is capped at 21 successive days.
Cllr Thomas said: “In terms of a tourist tax, which in my opinion hasn’t been referenced enough – there’s a fear that people will be against it.
"Manchester has demonstrated that people will not be negative when it’s actually put in place – £1 a night per person up to a maximum of 21 nights would bring in revenue that people in this Duchy would feel was paying for the facilities that people visiting are using.”
Other recommendations included:
Cornwall Council having more control over the short-term Airbnb-style holiday let market and its impact on the local housing market.
Encourage schools and colleges across England to stagger their holiday periods to spread out when people can visit, rather than having a concentrated period in the peak season.
A committee report highlighted that Cornwall gets around four million holiday visits and around 12 million day visitors per year which is reflected in the value of the tourism sector to the local economy.
The report said: “However, our popularity, especially in the peak period, also brings with it negative impacts to our communities such as reduction in air quality, environmental degradation at popular sites, increased demand on services and congestion.”
Cllr Mike Thomas said: “I really do think there’s a great danger of a perception by people not necessarily directly involved in tourism that tourism is having a negative effect on Cornwall. A lot of people do see the negative side.
“In some communities businesses like Airbnb have had a dramatic effect. We need to recognise that and find some way of regulating it."
Cllr Thomas added he could not support the recommendation to support changes to school holidays “unless there are sound educational reasons for them”.
He said: “As a former secondary school teacher I can sort of see the value of shortening the summer holiday by one week and having a two-week holiday in October as a beneficial move, but any decision must be predicated on educational reasons not on economic growth issues.”
Cllr Olly Monk added: “I often think what we need to concentrate on is providing more 21st century energy efficient holiday accommodation that allows hotels and holiday parks to regenerate themselves to soak up some of that pressure which allows people to rent their houses out willy nilly to the detriment of the local Cornish population.”
Credit: Local Democracy Reporter Service