Edinburgh to be first city in the UK to introduce a tourist tax

The City of Edinburgh Council has agreed plans to introduce a tourism tax in the Scottish capital. This will make Edinburgh the first city in the UK to introduce tax on visitors staying overnight.

Visitors will have to pay £2 per person per night for up to a maximum of seven nights for all paid accommodation except campsites.

It is suggested that the money raised by the tax will go towards waste collections and improvements in public areas and green spaces in the city. A report to the meeting of the policy and sustainability committee says the tax could raise between £5 million and £35 million every year.

For the tax to be implemented, the Scottish parliament must first approve the required legislation. The Local Visitor Levy Bill will be presented to the parliament in early 2023, after being delayed by the pandemic.

The idea of tourism taxes is becoming increasingly popular, including in Europe with an Algarve community association motioning for their own.