Visitors to the regency town of Bath could soon be paying a £1 a night tourism tax. Photo / Getty
Visitors to the regency town of Bath could soon be paying a £1 a night tourism tax. Photo / Getty
The British city of Bath could become the first in the UK to introduce a tourist tax - copying major European destinations such as Paris and Rome, reports Jennifer Newton for the Mail Online.
Nearly six million tourists flock to the UNESCO World Heritage city each year in order to visit the famous Roman baths and ancient abbey.
But plans have been drawn up to charge hotel guests staying in the city an extra £1 per night, which would generate £2.4million (NZ$4.48million) to be put back into the community.
The levy has been proposed by Bath and North East Somerset Council who will put it to the Local Government Association and Prime Minister Theresa May.
If the proposal is nodded through, the Georgian spa city would become the first in the UK to introduce the model, which is common throughout Europe.
However, it is the second time the plan has been put forward after city leaders in Bath were told by Westminster they would not be allowed to charge the fee last year.
It also came after some hotel owners said even a small additional charge would affect their businesses and that collecting the cash would be difficult and expensive.
Spend a penny: the UNESCO Roman baths are at the heart of the spa town's tourism. Photo / Adina Tovy-Amsel, Getty
However, the city of Birmingham might be given the green light to charge their own tourist tax to help pay for the Commonwealth Games, when it comes to the city in 2022.
And so Bath and North East Somerset Council has now decided to revive the plan - which they believe will not have a deterimental effect on tourism.
The council's Operational Plan states: 'Visitors are important to our economy, but they also impact upon council resources and services with around 5.8 million visitors every year.
"If a local tourism levy was introduced, it would help."
"For example, a £1 nightly surcharge per room would not affect tourism, but would bring in around £2.4 million each year to be reinvested into the local area to help maintain over 5,000 listed assets and support the public realm, arts and culture."
The proposal was discussed in a budget briefing held on Tuesday and received cross-party support.
Conservative council leader Tim Warren said: 'We believe that the considering the numbers of visitors we get in Bath a small fee for overnight stays is the way forwards. We're talking £1 a night per room.
"This would go to service the tourism budget. With the tourism budget effectively looking after itself, funds that would have usually been diverted there would be free to be put to use elsewhere."
