Wales tourist tax: New law to be proposed with major impact on holidaymakers

Overnight visitors in Wales may have to pay to stay under tourist tax proposals put to parliament later this month.

The “small” but unspecified visitor levy would be paid by people staying overnight in accommodation in Wales to raise funds that support the “long-term sustainability” of the tourism industry.

One Bill would give local authorities control over a visitor levy, while the other intends to regulate visitor accommodation by creating a national register.

A joint statement from finance secretary Mark Drakeford and economy secretary Rebecca Evans said the visitor levy and accommodation Bills will be introduced to the Senedd on 25 November.

“This Bill proposes giving local authorities the power to introduce a visitor levy, which will be a small charge paid by people staying overnight in visitor accommodation. The levy will raise additional funds for local authorities to support the long-term sustainability of our tourism industry,” it said.

They added: “Each local authority will be able to decide whether to introduce a visitor levy in its area, based on local circumstances.”

First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan announced the two Bills in July’s legislative statement to “support tourism and local communities”.

The visitor accommodation registration scheme is the “first step” towards a previously consulted statutory licensing scheme, including holiday homes in Wales, the statement said.

Rebecca Evans said: “These proposals are about preparing for the future. Our intention is to bring about a sense of shared responsibility between residents and visitors, to protect, and invest in, our local areas.

“By asking visitors – whether they have travelled from within Wales or from further afield – to make a small contribution towards maintaining and enhancing the place they are visiting, we will encourage a more sustainable approach for tourism.”

The Welsh Conservatives said tourism tax plans would “risk jobs” and “impose red tape” in Wales.

Andrew RT Davies MS, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “We’ve been absolutely clear from the start that this policy is the wrong one for Wales.

“A tourism tax will risk jobs at a time when businesses are being clobbered by Labour, it will impose red tape, and it will work against its own aims by encouraging visitors to…