Getty imagesThe introduction of a tourist tax in Wales would be a “very risky economic movement” that could endanger jobs and companies, according to the largest holiday supplier in the United Kingdom.
To charge the most people for the stays of the night would mean “to tax something that really wants to encourage,” said Ben Spier of Sykes Holiday Cottages.
The Galeses government wants people who pass the night in Wales to pay £ 1.30 more VAT per night for hotels, B&B and accommodation for autocateria, and more than 80p plus VAT for shelters and campsites, possible since 2027, if the seed passes.
He said that the tax could raise up to £ 33 million per year to support and improve tourism in local areas and that the councils would choose if it would charge it.
The Welsh government said he believed “it is fair that everyone contributes to the services they use.”
Tourism uses almost 160,000 people in Wales, and although it is worth between 3 billion and £ 4 billion for the economy.
Althegh’s children would be exempt from lower cost accommodation such as camping, if approved, the tax would also apply to people living in Wales.
Mr. Muscle, or Sykes, who has 22,500 properties of the United Kingdom, including more than 4,000 in Wales, said: “I do not think that a tourist tax necessarily tells visitors,” you are not welcome. “But I think they are just bad.”
He added: “There is a risk of simply making Wales than a little less competitive.
“We have seen the largest theme park near in recent weeks due to the increase in costs … Is this what you really want to put a tax?”
Sykes Holiday CottagesHe said there was a risk that border cities could suffer if people choose areas in England where there were no taxes, “just endanger those who trust those tourist works.”
With customers looking for competitive prices, he said that operators could absorb the tax themselves, warning: “You are absolutely risking that you are increasing prices and that runs the risk of conducting the tour routes, something else.
“Therefore, there is a domino effect throughout the economy of local suppliers and contractors to cultural attractions.”
Like others in the sector, it was a worried stay from the night, he went to the bees, while one -day hikers, who believe that they exert more pressure on local services and contribute many economic things, would not pay the tax.
Laura Tenison has wonderful getaways near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, where she has 16 rooms and specialties in commercial and well -being retreats.
Near the border, you can see seven counties on your night walk, five of them in England.
She said she believed that a tourist tax “makes sense” in places with a high tourist concentration in a small area such as Edinburgh, where “there is a massive shortage of accommodation.”
But Wales was very different, he said, and “we are already fighting seriously to encourage incoming tourists to the United Kingdom to visit.”
He does not oppose tourists money, he said: “Apparently, it costs £ 10 to have an Instagram image in Lands end today.
“Why do we do that for Tenby High Street or the highest peaks of the mountains? If that is the case, where we are choosing ourselves absolutely in tourists, we can tax them at the point of use.
“But do not make this a national problem that will only be a negative publicity for those incoming tourists who may not be retaining Wales, and that have a harmful effect on the industry that is struggling to fill their nights.”
If a tax occurs, Msison said that “there was absolutely no way to impose this on my guests” and his business would “swallow it.”
It occurs when an industry agency warned that thousands of tourist jobs could be lost in Wales without changes in the holiday rules.
Dr. Linda Osti, head of Tourism Management at the Bangor Business School, prepared a report for the Welsh government and studied five areas in the world operating a tax.
Venice recently introduced an entry tax for day visitors to counteract over-tourism in the peak times of the season.
She said she believed that a tax in specific areas, instead of the councils that imposed it throughout the county, would work in Wales.
“We cannot say that the same recipe works for each destination of Gwyndd, so it is the same to talk about the south or southwest of Wales,” he said.
“The same recipe cannot work, so it is necessary to adapt more to different tourist destinations.”
She agreed that a tourist tax could initially see a drop in the number of visitors in some areas, but long -term numbers could recover if tax revenues are used to improve services for visits.
“I think the doors open,” he said, adding: “It’s just about implementing it in the right way and I think Wales has the potential to let it work.”
Steven Hesketh, director of the Wrexham hotel in Holt, is completely behind a tourist tax in Wales, but that the industry manages the administration.
It is CEO of Savvy Hotels Group and vice president of the Commercial Liverpool Accommodation Improvement District (IDB).
The offer sees hoteliers and other members who pay in a pot what is used to invest in improving experiences and attracting great events and more visitors.
But they were voting to change a new model where visitors would pay £ 2 more barrel per hotel room, within a designated area of the city. The Board of Offers would then decide where to invest.
He said he believed that a similar model would be the best for Wales.
“I think that most companies have the general feeling that when the money enters the great conglomerate it is the government or the local council, which you may not see every pound that enters there, because it can be used for another need.
“That is not a criticism, local advice or government, but real for this particular fund, we want total transparency, total responsibility or where each penny is going.”
He added: “Those who are at the forefront of the industry … are better positioned to know where to spend that money.”
