Manchester becomes first UK city to charge tourists for visiting
27 March 2023, 12:22
Manchester's City Visitor Charge comes into force from 1st April, with a £1 charge for all city centre stays in hotels.
Manchester is the first ever UK city to introduce a tourist tax that will charge people to stay overnight.
Starting from 1st April, those visiting the northern city will have to pay £1 extra a night on their hotel rooms.
The money will go towards Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) as part of an improvement programme over the next five years.
It’s thought it will raise more than £3million a year, with around 74 hotels and guesthouses already signed up for the scheme.
Annie Brown, first chair of the ABI, told Manchester Evening News: "I think [the message it sends] has been a consideration, however when you compare it to European cities that have had taxes and visitor levies in place for a number of years, we feel it’s a small amount comparatively.
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"There are other cities in the UK looking to put in place what Manchester has done, I don’t think it’s a charge that’s off-putting."
This comes after Spanish city Barcelona introduced a tax for tourists who have to pay €4 a night, with this set to raise 50 cents next month.
Venice also charges up to €5 a for anyone visiting for the day, while this could soon rise to €10.
Earlier this year, Thailand introduced a tourist tax too and from June onwards, it will cost an extra 300 baht (£7) for those arriving by plane and $150 baht (£3.50) for port arrivals.
Air passengers will have the fee added to their plane tickets, while sea and land arrivals will have to pay on the border.
And while Manchester is the first city in the UK to introduce the tax, Bath and Oxford have could also introduce charges soon.
Governors in Edinburgh have also suggested they could soon be charging tourists £2 a night to stay, with Wales also considering a tourist tax.
