LONDON, February 7
Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is to become the first British city to introduce a tourist tax to try to better manage the impact of swelling visitor numbers and booming hotel occupancy, its council said.
One of Britain’s most picturesque cities, Edinburgh had 1.75 million foreign visitors on average annually between 2015 and 2017, making it the second most-visited in Britain after London. Hotel occupancy was the highest among all UK cities in 2017, at an average of 83.7 %.
The council said it would use funds raised by the £2 per room per night tax “to improve facilities and better manage the city”, as other European cities such as Barcelona and Rome have done.
The tourist tax has been unpopular with some businesses, however. A survey conducted by the council found only a narrow 51% of accommodation-providers supported the idea, which needs a final sign-off by Scotland’s devolved Parliament. — Reuters
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