Raise the price of anything and it will normally put folk off buying it.
But I do believe there are exceptions to that rule, so I’m following with great interest the debate among our friends over the Forth amid plans for a new “tourist tax” and any lessons that Fife could and perhaps should learn from it.
Now one might say ‘it’s only Edinburgh, it’s a city, it’ll never happen here’, but when you consider that tourism in Fife is worth around £570 million to the Scottish economy, more than five million people had searched for Fife on Trip Advisor in the last two years alone, and that the region is one of the top five most ‘instagrammed’ areas in the UK, then it’s certainly not a stretch to suggest such a venture could well be looked at here.
A city-wide consultation has just started over in Auld Reekie regarding the proposed levy, which would introduce a charge of either 2% or £2 per room per night to all guests in all forms of accommodation.
The “transient visitor levy” could raise up to £11 million a year in Edinburgh, its supporters say, with that money to be spent on growing tourism and managing its impact, and businesses, investors, visitors and residents are all being encouraged to have their say.
That’s only right of course, but the sceptic in me who always questions the value of these types of “consultations” reckons it’s probably all but a done deal and that we should all start saving our pennies.
I’m not actually against it, and I firmly believe that it is a proposition that could reap rewards for Fife. We all know Fife Council is having to cut costs left, right and centre, so anything that can bring in some extra revenue without causing people too much hardship is worthy of consideration.
Cities across the world do it already and most visitors don’t bat an eyelid. When you’ve probably spent a fair whack getting to your chosen destination, a small nightly cost doesn’t really register.
How it would work in practice in a place so diverse as Fife would concern me, however, as you are less likely to care about such a charge checking into a St Andrews hotel than if you were to rock up to a B&B in Saline.
Nevertheless, I think Fife should be part of this debate – and perhaps should even be at the forefront of these discussions. At the very least I think some sort of trial should be considered. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Striking the right balance will be important, but a small levy that could improve facilities for the benefit of locals and tourists alike seems a no brainer to me – and might even increase tourism if it is spent wisely enough.
