People in 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute could have the chance to give their views on a visitor levy for the area if councillors approve a three month formal consultation exercise when they meet this week.
Councillor Ross Moreland, Policy Lead for Finance and Depute Leader of 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Council said:
“51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute is a top visitor attraction and we want to keep it that way, for the benefit of visitors and local communities.
To keep people coming, the area needs to keep providing the services visitors expect. Many of these services are used also by residents, but are under threat from limited public funding. National visitor levy legislation is an option for raising income to support local services used by visitors as well as residents, and to keep the area as a top visitor attraction.
In these circumstances, it’s important that a draft consultation comes to Council for consideration, as an opportunity to involve our communities in assessing a levy in the future of the area’s visitor economy.â€
The draft consultation includes questions on what people would like funding from a levy, if introduced, to be spent on. Examples in the report going to Council include services to extend the visitor season, infrastructure options from toilets to transport, and support for individual tourism businesses.
The draft consultation asks businesses what support they would like, if a levy was introduced.
It also invites views on how much a levy should be; and for anyone against a levy being introduced, how they would see investment in tourism being paid for.
Elements of the visitor levy are set in law, such as the types of overnight accommodation a levy would apply to. There would also be a need for any council introducing a levy to report annually to the Scottish Government on how levy income is spent on services supporting the visitor economy.
The draft consultation and report will be considered when councillors meet on Friday 20 December.
For more information about a visitor levy, and the full report and draft consultation going to Council see 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Visitor Levy | 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Council