Council considers tourism tax for City of Culture

Visitors heading to Hull for an overnight stay could be charged a ‘tourist tax’.

Hull City Council is commissioning a feasibility study into the prospect of levying a charge on visitors, BBC News reported.

Paul Vinsen, chairman of Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitality Association, said it would undo the success of the city’s year as culture capital.

“I think it’s a very poor idea and I don’t think it will work,” he told BBC News.

“City of Culture has been incredibly successful… and all that good work will go to nothing because when [visitors] come to return they’ll find it more expensive.”

Cllr Mike Ross added: “We’re at the early stages of getting people to come and visit the city as it is.

“[My] fear is that anything like this just sends out the wrong message to people across the country.”

In a statement, the council said: “At this moment this is purely an information gathering process.

“It is good practice for councils to look regularly at ideas that other cities in the UK are considering as part of developing their tourism industry.

“Any relevant information collected will be discussed with partners before any proposals for implementation are presented. All final decisions will be taken by the council’s cabinet, no decision has been made.”

Tourist tax is levied on visitors to the USA and a number of European countries including Spain, Italy, Belgium and Austria.

In Venice, for example, 1 Euro is charged for each star of your hotel per person, per night, up to a maximum of five consecutive nights.

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close