Consultation on tourist tax plan for Scottish Highlands

Skye has become extremely busy with tourists in recent years

Highland Council will hold a consultation on how a new tourist tax should work in the region.

The Highlands get more than six million visitors a year - including day trippers, overseas tourists and cruise passengers.

It comes after MSPs approved a plan in May to introduce a visitor levy across Scotland.

This allows local councils to add a charge to overnight accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets.

Money raised from the levy would go towards improving infrastructure such as roads.

Highland Council plans to start its three-month consultation later this year.

It previously sought views in 2019 when it received 6,600 responses from residents, businesses and visitors.

Plockton has become a popular destination for visitors

Economy and infrastructure committee chairman Ken Gowans said tourism was one of the region's most important sectors.

"The upcoming consultation will give everyone the opportunity to put forward their views on how a levy scheme should operate and what the proceeds should be spent on," he said.

"We recognise that this consultation will only be one stage in the process and we will be building up on ongoing opportunities for representatives from across the region to feed in and shape how the levy can be delivered."

Under the proposals passed by MSPs:

• The levy must be based on a percentage of the cost of an overnight stay in some types of accommodation, with the rate set by the local authority

• Accommodation providers will be responsible for collecting the levy from overnight visitors

• Money raised by the levy must be used to develop, support or sustain facilities and services used predominately by business and leisure visitors

• Exemptions are given for certain groups, including people receiving disability benefits

Highland, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and other councils supported proposals for the tourist tax six years ago.

In August 2019, Highland Council calculated it could generate as much as £10m a year from a levy, and reinvest the money into improving infrastructure such as roads, car parks and public toilets.

In 2019 the Highland tourist numbers hit a peak of seven million visitors.

The Covid pandemic hit tourism, but there have been recent signs of recovery and in 2022 there were more than six million visitors to the area.