Image: A street in Oxford (Tetiana Zatsarynna)
Two councils are requesting the introduction of a visitor levy to support sustainable tourism and reinvest in local services and infrastructure
Bath & North East Somerset Council and Cambridge City Council have written to the Government, calling for a roundtable on sustainable tourism.
The councils are requesting the introduction of a visitor levy, similar to those in Europe, to support sustainable tourism and reinvest in local services and infrastructure.
Leaders of the two councils have jointly written to Angela Rayner, urging the Government to discuss support for sustainable tourism across heritage cities.
In the letter, Bath & North East Somerset Council and Cambridge City Council highlight the growing pressures faced by destination cities, including strains on local infrastructure and increased demands on services like waste management.
The proposed roundtable would explore solutions including the introduction of a visitor levy, and ways to “foster collaboration and partnership among stakeholders to effectively adress and mitigate the consequences of overtourism”.
Councillor Kevin Guy, leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said cities which attract heritage tourism “need a fairer system”, which “recognises the costs as well as the benefits”.
“We want to sustain the quality of the visitor experience while safeguarding the wellbeing of our communities.”
The councillor said a proposed levy “should apply fairly across all types of accommodation, including short-term lets such as Airbnb.”
Councillor Cameron Holloway, leader of Cambridge City Council, added: “We are proud that people want to come from across the world to see and experience Cambridge, and we want to facilitate that in a way that works for local people and for visitors.
Holloway said high numbers of tourists travelling through its medieval city centre “can have a serious impact on local people, and can detract from the visitor experience”.
The councillor called for “the means to manage the flow of visitors and to address some of the negative impacts of tourism on local residents, public realm, and infrastructure.”
Holloway pointed to Scotland, Wales, and cities in Europe which have introduced a levy.
“We were disappointed not to see anything from Government in the Devolution Bill to provide similar powers in England, as we want Cambridge to have the same.”
Next year Edinburgh will introduce a levy of 5% on overnight accommodation for a maximum of five nights.
