Stays from July next year will be subject to 5% visitor levy in first mandatory city-wide scheme in UK. Hotels, short-term lets and campsites in Edinburgh will start charging a visitor levy on all overnight stays in May, in a phased introduction to the scheme.
The levy, the first mandatory city-wide scheme in the UK, will be payable on all stays from July next year that are booked from 1 May onwards. The charge, described as a tourist tax, is expected to raise up to £50m a year to tackle the heavy impact of mass tourism on the city, by investing in new social housing, public parks, tourism facilities and arts and cultural events.
City officials recommended the long lead-in time to ensure visitors know at an early stage that they will pay the 5% plus VAT surcharge on all stays from 24 July 2026, and hotels and booking portals advertise the charge properly in advance. Councillors are expected to finally vote through the scheme on Friday, more than six years after the city formally began work on it.
Jane Meagher, the council leader, said: “This is the moment we have been working towards, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s position as one of the most beautiful, enjoyable destinations in the world. “The funding could provide Edinburgh with the biggest single injection of new funding this side of the millennium.”.
