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South Ayrshire Council to abandon tourist tax plan

Getty Images A view from behind the green on the par 3, 11th hole on the Ailsa golf course at The Trump Turnberry resort, on July 09, 2023 in Girvan, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)Getty Images
The Ailsa golf course at the Trump Turnberry resort, near Girvan, South Ayrshire, attracts thousands of visitors to South Ayrshire every year

South Ayrshire Council is set to abandon plans for a tourist tax in the region.

The local authority mooted the prospect of charging for overnight stays in a bid to boost its finances.

However a public consultation into the plan was heavily negative, with only 15% of respondents supporting the proposal compared to 79% against.

The critical comments included doubts Ayrshire was attractive enough a location for the levy to work.

Officials recommended the plan be abandoned for two years and the decision was agreed at a council meeting on Tuesday.

The decision is subject to call-in, meaning other councillors have 48 hours to object to the decision before it is finalised.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC) both submitted formal objections to the South Ayrshire proposal, with residents, hotels and B&Bs providing most of the other responses.

One respondent wrote: "I don't believe that Ayrshire is attractive enough as a destination to warrant a tourist tax/levy.

"I can see how this works in very popular places like Barcelona or Athens."

PA Media Crowds watching the Open golf tournament at Royal Troon PA Media
Visitors to future Open championships would have been charged if they stayed in Troon

Many expressed fears that the region's tourist sector was already fragile, and that small businesses would suffer if there was any further financial damage.

Officers have reviewed the survey findings, along with developments in other areas, and recommend dropping the project from its transformation programme and not considering development until August 2027 at the earliest.

They said the two year delay will allow time to assess how the levy affects other regions and whether such a scheme could work in South Ayrshire.

Any future return to the plan would need a full public consultation and a locally tailored approach, including decisions on rates, exemptions, and use of revenue.

A number of other regions in Scotland are looking at similar plans, with Edinburgh councillors deciding to push ahead with a 5% levy earlier this year.

Glasgow councillors will decide on a similar scheme on Thursday.

If approved, tourists will be charged £4.83 per night from January 2027.