Wales Considers New Tourism Tax: Conwy County To Consult On Visitor Levy Impact On Local Tourism And Economy

Published on October 3, 2025

A caller rule that gives section councils nan powerfulness to complaint overnight visitors a Visitor Levy is simply a awesome measurement guardant for Wales’s tourism industry. Local governments, business owners, and tourism organizations are now faced pinch nan situation of deciding whether aliases not to instrumentality this levy successful their regions aft it sparked discussions among them. One of nan first to deliberation astir enacting nan levy is Conwy County Borough Council, 1 of Wales’ astir visited tourer destinations. A last determination is anticipated successful nan outpouring of 2026, pinch nan consultation process scheduled to commencement successful January of that year.

The Welsh Government’s Visitor Levy: What Does It Entail?

The Visitor Levy, which was signed into rule by nan Welsh Government, empowers councils crossed nan state to complaint visitors staying overnight successful definite types of accommodation. The complaint varies depending connected nan type of accommodation. For campsites aliases hostel-style lodgings, nan levy will beryllium group astatine 75p per personification per night, excluding children nether 18. For different accommodations, specified arsenic hotels aliases vacation cottages, nan interest will beryllium £1.30 per personification per night.

For example, a family of four—two adults and 2 children—staying astatine a campsite for a week will beryllium required to salary £10.50. The aforesaid family would salary £36.30 for a enactment successful a edifice aliases a vacation cottage, reflecting nan higher accommodation rate. The Welsh Government hopes that this complaint will make important costs that could beryllium reinvested into section communities, benefiting some visitors and residents. However, immoderate successful nan tourism assemblage person raised concerns that nan taxation mightiness discourage imaginable visitors, starring to less visitors and reduced spending.

Conwy County: A Popular Tourist Destination

Conwy County is simply a premier illustration of a region wherever nan Visitor Levy could person important financial implications. Known for its picturesque seaside edifice of Llandudno, nan historical Conwy town, and nan scenic beauty of nan Conwy Valley, this area attracts millions of visitors each year. A study published successful 2019 revealed that much than 2.5 cardinal group stayed overnight successful Conwy County annually. This ample number of visitors presents a lucrative opportunity for nan section economy, peculiarly successful tourism-related industries that support thousands of jobs.

The preamble of nan Visitor Levy could supply nan section authority pinch a important caller gross stream, which could past beryllium reinvested into nan tourism infrastructure, helping to support and amended nan area’s attractions and services. However, location are concerns that nan levy could person unintended consequences. Some fearfulness that it whitethorn make nan region little charismatic to tourists, peculiarly successful an progressively competitory world tourism market.

Consultation Process: Seeking Community Input

To guarantee that immoderate determination regarding nan Visitor Levy is informed by section perspectives, Conwy County Borough Council has decided to initiate a nationalist consultation process. The consultation is group to statesman connected January 2, 2026, and will tally until March 18, 2026. During this period, stakeholders, including tourism groups, section businesses, and members of nan wide public, will person nan opportunity to definitive their views connected nan projected levy. The assembly intends to prosecute a wide scope of group successful nan process, from manufacture experts to visitors, to guarantee that each voices are heard.

As portion of nan consultation process, nan assembly will organise in-person events arsenic good arsenic an online survey, making it accessible to a broader audience. The extremity is to stitchery a wide scope of opinions connected whether nan Visitor Levy should beryllium implemented and what its imaginable effect connected tourism mightiness be. The feedback gathered will beryllium utilized to create an evidence-based report, which will thief nan assembly make a last determination connected nan matter.

Consultants to Lead nan Consultation and Evaluation

In a bid to guarantee a transparent and neutral consultation process, nan assembly has decided to prosecute outer consultants to lead and measure nan process. The consultants will beryllium responsible for delivering nan consultation and gathering information from each stakeholders. They will besides measure nan findings and supply nan assembly pinch an impartial, evidence-based study connected nan results.

The consultants will present an interim study midway done nan consultation period. This will springiness an early denotation of nationalist sentiment and immoderate emerging trends. A last study will beryllium compiled astatine nan extremity of nan consultation, summarising nan findings and presenting grounds to support a determination connected nan levy. The study will not supply a proposal connected whether nan levy should beryllium introduced, but alternatively will coming nan information collected successful a neutral manner, allowing nan assembly to make an informed determination based connected nan disposable evidence.

The Debate: Pros and Cons of nan Visitor Levy

The preamble of a Visitor Levy has divided opinions crossed Wales. Supporters of nan levy reason that it is simply a communal believe successful galore European countries and tin supply a valuable root of backing for section communities. The costs generated could beryllium utilized to amended infrastructure, beforehand sustainable tourism, and support projects that use some visitors and residents. This could besides thief mitigate nan effect of overtourism, a increasing interest successful galore parts of Wales, wherever nan influx of visitors tin spot a strain connected section resources.

However, critics pass that nan Visitor Levy could deter visitors from visiting Wales altogether, peculiarly successful an era of rising recreation costs. They reason that nan taxation could discourage families and different visitors from booking stays successful definite areas, starring to a simplification successful wide tourism numbers. Furthermore, location are concerns astir nan administrative load it could spot connected mini businesses, peculiarly successful nan hospitality sector, which would beryllium required to negociate nan postulation of nan tax.

The Path Forward: A Decisive Consultation

Other section authorities passim Wales will beryllium intimately monitoring Conwy County’s last determination regarding nan preamble of nan Visitor Levy arsenic it originates this important consultation process. The consultation’s conclusion mightiness found a modular for nan exertion of tourism taxes successful different parts of nan nation. In bid to make judge that immoderate determination is supported by important grounds and represents nan opinions of nan section community, nan assembly is presently concentrating connected obtaining arsenic overmuch input arsenic possible.

For Wales’s tourism industry, nan Visitor Levy marks a turning point. It presents superior risks for nan manufacture moreover though it has nan imaginable to boost finance successful location infrastructure. Whether aliases not this caller taxation becomes a imperishable fixture of Wales’s tourism segment will dangle connected nan result of nan consultation, which will power tourism successful Conwy County and beyond.